


The Changes We Make

by Katicha



Series: Grudges and Regrets [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Love, Growing, Growing Up, Hurt, Love, Sequel, changes, changing, life - Freeform, minor smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-05 02:15:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 160,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21407686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katicha/pseuds/Katicha
Summary: Madi grew up watching her parents' once in a life time love. However, Madi kept herself closed off to love and feelings, scared of being hurt. Her walls are up and she plans on keeping it that way.
Relationships: Madi/original character, minor bellamy and clarke
Series: Grudges and Regrets [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1043972
Comments: 83
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Here is the sequel!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Growing up with four siblings made her a leader by default and Madi knew that well. She liked being the eldest sibling, she liked helping out with her siblings and being a confidant for them. She knew she had a very different relationship with her siblings than her parents had. She loved the fact that her brothers and sisters would tell her things and ask her for advice that they didn’t feel comfortable coming to anyone else for. All of this made her fiercely protective of all of them and she wouldn’t hesitate to protect them at all costs. This had gotten her in trouble a fair few times but she didn’t care as long as they were okay. It made her worry about how they were going to cope when she left for college, it almost made her hesitant to go. She knew they were going to be okay because they have their big family to look out for them including all of their aunts and uncles.

Madi knew she took after her mother in the way that she loved the bar and had happily worked shifts there since she was 15. She would wash dishes and run food to tables to earn some money for herself. She liked being able to save money up for things she wanted and as she got older having money put aside for college. She had made the plan to work most of the summer before she left for college so she could have enough money to get by without having to bother her parents for money. She knew her parents were more than happy to give her money and support her through college. She just liked being independent.

It was officially summer and a busy Thursday night at the bar, Madi tightened her ponytail after she had finished putting in one of her table’s orders. It was most likely going to the last order of the night because the kitchen closes at midnight on a Thursday night. 

“I still can’t believe you’ve graduated high school and heading off to college soon,” Anya grinned as she walked over to the kitchen window where Madi was standing. “I still remember when you were just a little toddler when your Momma started working here.” 

“I remember when you weren’t a little sentimental bag of mush,” Madi smirked and earned a playful slap off Anya. 

“I’ll only be a sentimental bag of mush for you,” Anya smirked and gave Madi a quick hug.

Madi’s relationship with Anya had gotten closer when Madi started working at the bar. Anya worked between the three bars her parents owned but this bar had a special place in her heart was because it was where it all started for her.

“I’ve got to give my tables refills,” Madi smiled and grabbed the water jug before starting to make her rounds to her table.

“Hi Madi,” The dark-haired boy grinned at her, he had been in her section for the last couple of hours.

The boy’s name was Cole, Madi had known him most of her school life. He had always been in her classes when they were younger and had shared most classes in high school. He attractive, Madi couldn’t lie. His dark hair, green eyes and his muscular build always caught her eye. She stopped herself from getting a crush on him or even thinking about him like that. They were too different. Madi was more of the type to keep to herself at school unless she protecting her siblings. Cole was more of the popular type, everyone loved him, he was on the football team but he wasn’t just a jock type, despite stereotypes, he was actually really smart. Lately, he had been inviting Madi to parties or to hang out but she always declined. She wasn’t the party type or the dating type. She didn’t want to end up in trouble because of a guy. She didn’t want to be a teen mother and have to give up her future. She didn’t want to be like her mom, not that her mom isn’t happy or successful. She just didn’t want to any chance of being put in that position.

“Hi Cole,” Madi put her customer service smile on and grabbed her order pad. “Can I get anything else for you?”

“I’m good thanks, what are you doing after your shift?” He smiled widely.

“Going home, I finish at 1 am,” Madi put the pad back into the pocket of her apron. “I always say no when you ask to hang out, why do you keep asking?”

“Because I like you,” He said simply with a kind smile despite her rejection of him. “We’ve gone to school together all of our lives, we’re going to the same college and we’re going to be working together. I want us to be friends at least.”

“You got a job here?” She raised her eyebrow slowly, her heart beating slightly faster and she was cursing internally.

“Yep, I’m the new server.” He smiled as he watched her and Madi felt he could tell her heart was beating faster.

“Right,” She turned on her heels and made a beeline for the server station where Anya was waiting for Madi. “Really Anya? Him?” She half groaned.

“You like him,” Anya smirked, folding her arms.

“I don’t, he’s a nuisance,” Madi grumbled before her phone started ringing in her back pocket. “It’s my dad,” she half sighed before answering the phone. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?”

“Hey Madz, is Mini still at the bar? She said she was going to hang out at the bar with some friends.” Bellamy spoke quickly and suspiciously. “I told her she can stay out past curfew if she was at the bar and came home with you after your shift.”

“Yeah she’s still here,” Madi lied easily for her sister, she had done this many time for Mini. “I finish up at 1, so she’ll be home with me then. Don’t worry, I’m looking out for her.”

“Thanks, Madz, drive safe okay? Love you,” His voice was full of appreciation but also worry at the same time.

“Always, love you too Dad,” Madi hung up the phone and turned back to Anya.

“Need to go save your sister again?” Anya had a knowing smile.

“Yeah, sorry,” Madi sighed, she hated having to leave like this but if she didn’t go find Minerva now, she wouldn’t make it home on time and they would both get in trouble.

“Go, the kitchen is closing up after your last order, I’ll cover for you,” Anya smiled and watched Madi untie her apron.

“Thank you,” Madi gave Anya a quick hug before going out the back to get her bag from her locker.

Madi put on her jacket on as she walked out of the bar. Madi could hear the footsteps behind her and sensed it was Cole.

“Hey, Madi?” Cole called out as he followed her to her car. “Where are you going?”

“I need to go pick up my sister before my dad busts her for breaking her curfew,” Madi explained as she opened her car door throwing her bag over to the passenger side. “I’ll see you around.” 

Madi got into her car and drove out of the parking lot, she knew where she needed to go. She drove to a house on the edge of town where she knew where the party was. Madi was furious that she had to do this again. 

Madi pulled up out the front of the house as walked in on a mission. She passed a lot of people she had just graduated with and it didn’t take her long to find her sister and Jordan. Both of them were drunk and locked lips, she narrowed her eyes at the young couple.

“Mini, get up,” Madi said sternly. “Jordan, you too cause I sure as hell know your parents don’t know you’re here.”

“Why do you have to be such a bitch? We’re just having fun,” Minerva grumbled and took a long sip of her drink as Jordan complied immediately, walking out of the house.

“Now Mini,” Madi snatched the cup off her and pointed towards the door.

Minerva got up and started to stumble out. Madi knew people were staring at her but she didn’t care, she had done this many times to save Minerva from getting in trouble. Madi just followed Minerva out to the car but Minerva stopped walking causing Madi to roll her eyes and walk to the car ahead of her sister.

“Get in the car,” Madi instructed the two drunk teenagers, Jordan complied but Madi knew Minerva was going to fight.

“Why do you have to be such a fucking bitch?” Minerva stood firm, crossing her arms, narrowing her eyes at her older sister.

“Mini, get in the car. Dad is going to flip if he knows you lied to him,” Madi half groaned, not in the mood to deal with this.

“Just because you’re a frigid virgin who can’t have any fucking doesn’t mean that I can’t have fun,” Minerva frowned, throwing her arms up in the air.

_ Wow Mini, low blow _, Madi thought as she crossed her arms.

“Get in the fucking car now,” Madi growled, she was over this and over Minerva’s attitude. “Now Mini.”

The younger girl complied immediately, knowing not the mess with her sister at this moment. Madi sighed and got into the car, hoping that the two drunk teenagers didn’t puke in her back seat. Madi was annoyed at the fact that her sister was taking low blows at her when she was helping her out.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

By some miracle, neither teen threw up in her car and she had managed to get Minerva up to her room without their dad noticing. Madi yawned loudly as she walked into the kitchen, she was tired but wanted some tea before bed. She had almost finished making her tea when her Mom walked into the kitchen.

“Harper just texted me, she wanted me to thank you for getting Jordan home safe,” Clarke sighed slowly. “Mini lied to your dad again.”

“She’s got to stop using me as her cover story without telling me,” Madi sighed and palmed her cup of tea.

“Thank you for looking out for her,” Clarke gave her eldest a small smile. “Go get some sleep. Love you,”

“Love you too Mom,” Madi kissed her mother’s cheek before heading upstairs to her room.

She settled into her bed to read for a little bit when her phone went off with a text. She grabbed her phone and couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth when she saw who it was from.

_ Cole: Did you find her alright? _

_ Madi: Yeah, she was at that house party on the edge of town. _

_ Cole: Your sister is lucky to have a sister like you. _

Madi felt her heart pound, she tried to stop it but she wasn’t strong enough. Madi just had to make sure that he didn’t find out what he was making her feel.

_ Cole: Get some sleep, it’s late. Goodnight Madi _

_ Madi: Night _.

Madi finished her tea and settled into bed, her mind racing about the boy who was breaking down her barriers.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Madi walked downstairs early the next morning, she was tired from the night before and was in desperate need of coffee. She could hear the twins playing in the lounge room with Theo and Minerva getting a lecture from their parents. Julian ran up to her with a wide grin.

‘Morning Madi’ Julian signed happily.

‘Good morning Jules, are you having fun with Theo?’ Madi smiled as she signed to her little brother.

‘Yeah, can we go to the park today?’ the little boy signed with a hopeful smile.

‘Sorry buddy, I’ve got to work today but we can have a movie night tonight, I’ll buy candy and popcorn on my way home.’ Madi signed and hugged Julian tightly. ‘I need to get coffee.’

‘Okay.’ Julian smiled and ran back to join Theo and Augustus.

Madi pulled her hair back into a messy bun as she walked into the kitchen. She could feel the daggers Minerva was staring at her.

“You really had to tell them,” Minerva muttered, annoyance dripping in her voice.

“Enough Mini,” Bellamy growled loudly, his anger was obvious.

“I didn’t, Harper texted Mom after I dropped Jordan off,” Madi rolled her eyes as she grabbed a mug and poured a cup of coffee. “I was the one who drove across town and picked you up.”

“Frigid virgin,” Minerva seethed.

“Enough Minerva!” Bellamy slammed his hand down on the table.

“Go to your room Mini,” Clarke ordered, Minerva complied and disappeared upstairs. “Bell, calm down.”

Bellamy huffed out and calmed down slowly as Clarke rubbed her back.

“I’m not happy that you lied to me,” Bellamy looked Madi as she fixed her coffee the way she liked it.

“It was better that I go get her than you,” Madi shrugged slowly. “I’m sorry that I lied to you but it was for the best.”

“You’re right,” Bellamy sighed and got up, kissing the top of his daughter’s head. 

“I need to get ready for work, I’m having a movie night with the boys tonight,” Madi smiled taking a sip of her coffee.

“You need to take your car to the garage and get it checked out,” Clarke spoke quietly as she cleared the table.

“It’s fine,” Madi rolled her eyes as she walked out of the kitchen.

“It’ll break down on you!” Clarke called out after her.

“No, it won’t,” Madi called back with a quiet laugh as she stomped upstairs.

__________________________________________________________________

Madi walked into the bar and found Cole waiting near the staff lockers. He smirked at her as she put her bag in her locker. Madi felt his eyes on her as she tied her apron low on her hips. Anya walking in made Madi’s head snap up, the older woman had a knowing smirk on her face.

“Cole, you’re with Madi today,” Anya smirked as she tossed the boy an apron and Madi could’ve sworn that she saw Cole’s eyes light up. “Madi show him the ropes for the opening shift.”

Madi watches Anya turn on her heels and walk out of the back room. She turned to see Cole grinning at her, a goofy grin.

“Let’s go,” Madi turned away slowly and started to walk towards the door that led to the interior of the bar.

“I think you’ll start to warm up to me, Blake,” Cole’s voice was full of optimism as he followed Madi to the server station.

“Alright, on the opening shift we need to make sure that the salt and pepper shaker, the sauce bottles are full,” Madi directed as she pulled the trays of shakers and sauce bottles. “Then we wipe down all the tables, ask the kitchen if we have any specials and update the special’s board.”

“Okay,” Cole nodded slowly and started to check the shakers, pulling out the ones that needed to be filled up.

“Once a month the sauce bottles and the shakers get emptied and put through the dishwasher,” Madi explained as she pulled out the bottles of salt and pepper. “I run the sauce bottles through the dishwasher if they’re empty.”

“Okay got it,” Cole nodded and accidentally grabbed Madi’s hand as he reached for one of the shakers. “Sorry,” he grinned pulling his hand away.

“It’s okay,” Madi mumbled as her heart started to beat like crazy from his touch.

“How about you start on the sauce bottles and I’ll get the shakers done?” he suggested with a smile.

“Sounds good,” Madi nodded slowly and got to work, relaxing slightly with the space between the.

Madi had to admit that Cole was picking up everything fast and was a hard worker. The shift had gone well and Cole was eager to learn from Madi. She couldn’t stop her heart from beating hard the whole day and she was just thankful that her cheeks weren’t burning red the whole shift. 

When their shift ended Madi walked back to the lockers with Cole. She untied her apron and shoved it into her locker.

“What are you up to tonight?” Cole smiled and leant against his locker.

“I’m having a movie night with my little brothers, I’m picking up snacks on my way home,” Madi smiled slowly as she leant against her closed locker.

“That should be a good night,” He smiled watching her before pushing off the lockers. “Let me walk you to your car.” 

Madi just nodded and walked out of the bar with him. she got to her car and opened it slowly.

“I guess I’ll see tomorrow,” Cole smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“You did good today,” Madi smiled slowly which made his cheek burn red slightly. “I’ll see you later.”

Madi got into her car and went to start it but it didn’t start. She tried again and it still didn’t work. Madi groaned knowing she should’ve gotten serviced when her parents told her to.

“Car troubles?” Cole smiled, he still hadn’t moved from his spot. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thanks, Cole,” Madi smiled getting out of her car locking it. 

“We can stop at Walmart to get snacks for your movie night,” He got into his car with the same wide grin.

There was a silence as they made their way to Walmart, it wasn’t awkward, just quiet. Madi could tell he was glancing at her every now and then.

“Your sister isn’t joining in on the movie night?” Cole broke the silence as they got closer to Walmart.

“She’s still mad at me because she got caught,” Madi explained with a slight laugh.

“How did that happen?” He chuckled and looked at her before turning his eyes back on the road.

“Her boyfriend was there with her, so I had to take him home as well. Her boyfriend’s Mom is my mom’s friend, so she texted my Mom, thanking me for dropping him off,” She laughed quietly. “My mom didn’t tell my dad, he smelt the alcohol on her when she stumbled down for breakfast.”

“Rookie mistake,” He gave a hearty chuckle as he turned into the Walmart parking lot. “How long have they been together?”

“Pretty much all of their lives, they’ve been obsessed with each other all of their lives,” She smiled, shaking her head slowly. “It’s weird because I see him both as my little cousin and my sister’s boyfriend.”

“Sounds like you have a big family,” He smiled as he expertly parked his car into the free parking spot.

“You have no idea,” Madi laughed and undid her seat belt. “Have you got a big family?”

“Not really, I have a hand full of cousins but that’s it,” he shrugged getting out of the car with Madi close behind him as they walked towards the store. “I know Theo’s your little brother but do you have others?” 

“I have twin little brothers, they turned 10 a couple of months ago,” She smiled, grabbing a basket as they walked into the store.

“That must be a fun age,” he smiled watching her as they walked to the candy aisle. “So what’s your favourite Candy?”

“Sour worms,” She grinned watching him take a bag off the shelf and putting in her bag. “What’s yours?”

“Gummy bears,” He smiled as he grabbed a bag tucking it under his arm.

“Here, put them in the basket, I’ll get them for you,” She spoke quietly as she watched him. “To say thank you for driving me.”

“Thanks,” He smiled and put the bag in the basket. “Here, I’ll carry the basket,” He gently took it off her before they continued down the aisle picking up different bags of candy. “Why do you always say no when I ask you to hang out?” His question made Madi stop, her back still to him.

“I don’t get why you want to hang out with me,” She turned on her heels to look at him. “I know you said it’s because you like me last night but you don’t even know me,” she narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Let me get to know you,” He pleaded as he stepped closer to her. “Why don’t you let anyone close to you? You always keep to yourself, you didn’t go to any of the dances, football games or rallies,” He crossed his arms looking down at her, he was a whole head and shoulders taller than her.

“I have my reasons,” She dropped her gaze to look down at her feet.

“What are those reasons?” He questioned, not backing down.

“The closer you let people to you, the more they can hurt you,” She looked up at him before turn her attention back to the snacks.

“So you’re never going to let people close to you?” His voice made her turn back to look at him, she could see him raising an eyebrow.

“That’s the plan,” She rocked back on her heels before grabbing a bag of M&Ms.

“I’ll make you a deal,” His smirk was obvious in his voice.

“And what’s that?” She looked over her shoulder at him curiously.

“You agree to hang out with me over the summer, if I change your mind about letting people in we can be friends,” His smirk grew as he stepped closer to her. “If not, I won’t bother you ever again.”

“Ever again?” She smirked, raising her eyebrow slowly, still looking over her shoulder.

“I promise, take a day to decide,” He was close enough to her that she could smell his intoxicating deodorant.

Her heart was racing as he stepped closer to her, the intoxicating scent engulfing her. She felt her control slipping away but stopped herself just short of completely letting go. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to gain her control again.

“I’ll think about it,” Her voice was steady before she turned around to face him.

“Good,” He reached out and tapped his finger on the tip of her nose.

“Did you just boop my nose?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yep,” He chuckled and did it again.

“Stop!” She tried to stifle her laughter as she swatted away his hand. “I’m going to get ice cream.”

Madi started to walk away but turned back to see him watching her with a big triumphant grin. She turned away and couldn’t stop the smile on her face.

________________________________________________________________________________

The ride to the house wasn’t quiet, they were talking and joking the whole time. Cole had her in stitches and the smile wasn’t leaving her face any time soon. Madi watched in amusement as he stared at her house in awe.

“Stop, you live in a house just as big,” Madi playfully slapped Cole’s arm.

“But I like yours so much better, I can’t stand how modern, black and white mine is,” Cole turned to Madi slowly with his wide grin still plastered on his face.

Madi watched as Julian ran up to the car and knocked on the window, Augustus close behind him. The identical twins looked exactly like their father when he was their age, they both had dark short hair that was slightly longer on the top. The only difference they had from Bellamy was that they had their mother’s blue eyes. Cole pressed the button to roll down the window. 

“Hi!” Cole smiled and waved at the twin boys.

‘Did you get the snacks?’ Julian signed excitedly.

‘I got the snacks, did you pick the movie?’ Madi signed back with a smile. 

‘Shrek!’ Julian signed with a quiet laugh.

“Can you teach me how to say hi to him?” Cole asked quietly.

“Hi,” Madi showed him the sign. “My name is Cole.” She showed him each sign.

Cole repeated the signs to Julian with a nervous smile.

“Gus, Jules, this is Cole,” Madi spoke and signed at the same time causing both boys to wave with smiles. “He drove me home because my car broke down.”

“Mom told you to take it to get serviced,” Augustus shook his head slowly, judging her.

‘Should’ve listened to Mom,’ Julian shook his head at her.

“I know, I know,” Madi spoke and signed with a sigh. “Thanks for driving me home,” She smiled at Cole, well aware that her little brothers were watched her intently.

“That’s no problem,” Cole smiled as he watched her.

“Come watch the movie with us,” Augustus smiled widely.

Julian quickly signed something and Augustus nodded, Madi didn’t catch what he had signed.

“Boys, I don’t know, Cole worked all day with me. He’s probably tired,” Madi explained watching her brothers.

“Please, we’re watching Shrek,” Augustus smiled, clasping his hands together.

“Well, Shrek is my favourite movie,” Cole looked at Madi and smirked before turning his attention back to the boys. “Of course I’ll watch the movie with you guys.”

‘I know what you two are up too,’ Madi signed narrowing her eyes at her little brothers. 

Her brothers just laughed and ran inside. Madi undid her belt and got out of the car with Cole following. 

“I didn’t know your brother was deaf,” Cole spoke quietly and got the bag of snacks out of the car.

“He’s been deaf since he was a baby,” Madi explained quietly. “He can speak, quite well actually but he prefers to just sign.”

“That must have been hard for you guys,” Cole frowned slightly.

“We see the bright side, we’re all bilingual,” Madi smiled with a small shrug and walking into the house.

“Madi’s home!” Theo’s voice rang out from the kitchen but she knew he was walking to meet her.

Theo walked into the entryway slowly, half of his dark brown long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He had broad muscular shoulders and defined muscles that showed through his grey t-shirt. He was taller and more muscular than most boys his age. The necklace that once belonged to his birth father sat on top of his shirt. Madi thought he looked just like his birth father, she only had fuzzy memories of Roan but from the photos, Theo definitely looked just like him. He wore a stony expression as his eyes bore into Cole.

“Theo, this is Cole, he gave me a lift home because my car broke down,” Madi spoke quietly knowing her brother was very protective of her.

“Yeah I know you from school,” Theo spoke with his arms crossed firmly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Theo,” Cole smiled offering his hand out and Theo gave him a rough handshake. 

“Gus and Jules invited him to watch the movie with us,” Madi explained and Theo just took the bag of snacks off his sister before disappearing into the kitchen.

“He seems nice,” Cole gave a nervous laugh.

“Sorry, he doesn’t particularly take well to new people,” Madi bit her lip slowly.

“It’s okay,” Cole smiled at her slowly. “You’re cute when you do that.”

“Stop,” She playfully slapped his arm. “Come on, we better get this movie night started.” She started to lead him downstairs to the basement. “Theo! Don’t forget the soda!”

“I won’t!” Theo called out, the annoyance was clear in his voice.

In the basement, they had a projector set up and the Netflix was ready to go on the image projected on the wall. They had the softest U-shaped couch with loads of pillows.

“Pick a spot, I need to fix Julian’s hearing aids so they’re connected with the speakers. I hope you don’t mind subtitles,” Madi spoke up as she walked over to her little brother.

“I don’t mind at all,” Cole smiled and sat on the edge of the couch. 

‘You like him,’ Julian signed teasingly but Madi shook her head and started connecting his hearing aid to the speaker frequency. 

‘Is he your boyfriend?’ Augustus signed with a laugh.

‘Since when do I date?’ Madi raised her eyebrows at her little brothers.

‘I like him, he’s nice,’ Julian signed with a smile.

‘Maybe you should date him,’ Madi replied with a smirk before hitting play on the move so they could test the connection. ‘Good? Higher or lower?’ She signed but smiled when he gave her the thumbs up. 

Madi hit pause and put the movie back to the beginning.

“Do you always do it for him?” Cole asked curiously as Madi sat down next to him.

“One of us do it, the last time he did it for himself, the feedback made his ears bleed,” Madi sighed at the horrible memory of the little boy who’s usually so quiet, scream in utter agony. “For now, we do it for him.”

“Poor little guy,” Cole pursed his lips as Theo came downstairs, putting the tray of snacks and drinks on the coffee table.

‘Cole is Madi’s boyfriend,’ Augustus signed to Theo.

‘What?’ Theo turned to Madi with a frown. 

‘No, he’s not,’ Madi signed back quickly and pressed play on the movie, not wanting to have this conversation.

Half an hour into the movie, Theo tapped Madi on the shoulder and she knew he was about to grill her.

‘Madi, why him?’ Theo signed at his sister with a deep frown.

‘I was training him at the bar, he walked me out to my car and it didn’t start so he offered to drive me home,’ Madi signed with a sigh. ‘It was the boys who invited him to watch the video.’

‘He likes you,’ Theo frowned deeper and glared at the boy sitting on the other side of his sister. ‘I don’t like him.’

‘Why?’ She frowned shaking her head.

‘I think he’ll take advantage of you,’ he sighed quietly. ‘He’s dated a ton of girls at school.’

‘I won’t let him, do you really think I’m stupid enough to let him do that?’ she raised her eyebrow slowly.

‘No but I worry about you,’ He sighed quietly.

‘I’ll be okay,’ she gave him a reassuring smile.

‘Okay,’ He nodded and turned his attention back to the movie.

Madi did the same until she felt a tap on her leg, she turned the head to see Cole looking at her, a worried look on his face.

“Maybe I should go, I don’t want to make your brother feel uncomfortable by having me here,” Cole whispered quietly.

“No, you don’t have to,” Madi whispered back, she didn’t want to him to go, she was actually enjoying hanging out with him.

“Are you saying you like hanging out with me?” He smirked leaning in closer to her.

“I’m not saying I’m not enjoying hanging out with you,” she felt her breath catch as he leaned in closer to her. 

“I make nervous don’t I?” He smirked leaning in closer, making her breath hitch again. “You do like me.”

He leaned closer, his lips inched closer to hers, the smirk still on his lips. His smirk grew and her breath hitched again.

“Boop,” he smirked and tapped his finger on the tip of her nose.

“I hate you,” she groaned quietly and he just laughed quietly.

“No,” He shook his head slowly with the same smirk. “You like me.”

“Watch the movie,” She mumbled turning her attention to back to the movie.

Madi couldn’t believe the effect this boy was having on. she wasn’t just breaking through her walls; he was crashing through them. She had never let anyone outside of her family in but somehow she was letting him in. Maybe it was because she had never let him this close to her before. Maybe it was the universe the telling her it was time to let someone in but she didn’t know if she was ready to let someone in. Especially him. She didn’t know if she was ready to let her guard down yet.

_______________________________________________________

The twins had fallen asleep in the middle of the second Shrek movie and Theo had gotten bored with it, disappearing upstairs. Cole had been teasing her, using the effect he had on her to tease her, loving the fact that he was right. Madi hated the fact that he was right and that he had this much of an effect on her. 

“I should get home, we have work in the morning,” Cole spoke up when the credits started and stood up stretching.

“I’ll walk you out,” Madi got up, stretching out of the sleepy haze the movie had put her in.

Cole followed Madi upstairs and out the front door into the cool summer night air. Madi couldn’t look at him as they walked towards his car.

“About the deal,” Madi broke the silence between them and turned to him slowly to see him with a hopeful smile. “I’ll do it.”

“Really?” The hopeful tone in his voice made the corners of her mouths twitch slightly. 

“Yeah, prove me wrong,” She challenged with a small smile.

“You want to know how I know I’m going to prove you wrong?” He raised his eyebrow slowly with a smirk.

“How do you know?” She watched him slowly as he stepped forward towards her.

“Because you like me,” His smirk grew as he leant in as if to kiss her and her breath hitched again. “Boop,” he tapped his finger to the tip of her nose and chuckled. 

“I hate you,” Madi grumbled crossing her arms and watched him open his car door still chuckling.

“What are you doing tomorrow night after work?” He leant against the door of his car as he watched her.

“Nothing, coming home and catching up on some reading,” She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

“One of my friends is having a house party, come with me,” He smiled watching.

Against her better judgement, the words slipped out of her mouth. 

“Okay,” she watched him smile wider and got into his car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter two!  
I hope you like it!

“You’re going to a party?” Bellamy raised his eyebrow sceptically when Madi answered his question when she came downstairs ready to go.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded and bent down to tighten the laces on her boots.

“Clarke, haven’t you taught her anything about what to wear?” Octavia pushed up off her seat in the main lounge room.

Her parents were having her aunts and uncles over for a movie night while the kids played downstairs.

“She’s never been interested in going to parties,” Clarke shrugged slowly and looked at her husband who now had frown plastered on his face.

“Alright O, let’s fix our girl up,” Raven jumped out of her seat with a wide smile.

“Fix me up? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Madi looked down at her t-shirt, jeans and boots.

“Nothing Madz but it’s just not what you should wear to a party,” Raven explained as she walked over to Madi. “Your Aunt O and I used always have fun getting your Mom ready for nights out.”

“Let’s do this,” Octavia linked arms with Madi and started heading upstairs with Raven in tow.

“You coming Clarke?” Raven paused on the stairs.

“I better stay and make sure Bell doesn’t have a heart attack!” Clarke called back and Raven continued up the stairs.

Madi couldn’t believe the way her aunts riffled through her closest. It made her nervous she was going to be late. Cole was getting a uber to her place then they were going to get an uber to the party together.

“Black shorts, dark red crop top and black jacket?” Raven looked at Octavia for approval.

“No jacket,” Octavia shook her head as she pulled Madi’s hair out of the ponytail. “Is it the lace up front one?”

“The one that Bell hates and Madi never wears?” Raven called out from the closet.

“That’s the one!” Octavia grinned and started to add braids to Madi’s hair.

“Need help?” Harper walked into Madi’s room with a smile.

“Do her make up,” Octavia ordered pointing to the make up that Octavia insisted on buying for Madi even though she never touched it.

“Wing, natural lip?” Harper looked for confirmation from Octavia who quickly nodded.

Madi wondered if she was going to regret letting her aunts fix her up. She couldn’t see in the vanity mirror because Harper’s body now blocked it as she did her make up.

“So who’s the guy who finally got my niece to have some fun?” Raven wiggled her eyebrows as she came out with the outfit. “Come on, what’s his name?” she pushed when Madi didn’t answer.

“Cole,” Madi answered quietly as Harper finished her make up.

“Cole Ryan?” Harper asked and Madi nodded nervously. “He’s a good looking boy.”

“Way to go Madi,” Octavia grinned and pulled her niece up. “Get changed.”

Madi took the clothes and slipped into the bathroom, changing into the outfit. She felt the nerves building up in her, she didn’t feel comfortable, this wasn’t her usual style.

“Put your boots on too,” Octavia called out loudly.

Madi put her boots on and walked out nervously, she hadn’t looked at herself in the mirror. There was a chorus of aws from her aunts.

“You look amazing Madz,” Raven grinned from ear to ear.

“You’re blessed with your mother’s figure,” Octavia pulled Madi in front of the full length mirror that was on the back of her wardrobe door.

Madi didn’t recognise herself, the outfit flattered her body and she honestly loved the way she looked. She was wearing black high waisted shorts that flattered her curves and a long sleeve dark red shirt that had a lace up front that enhanced her well endowed chest. Her hair at the top of her head was braided back out of her face while the rest flowed free almost down to her waist. Her make wasn’t too much but just accentuated her features.

“Wow,” Madi mumbled quietly, just staring at herself.

“I call this a job well done,” Octavia smirked looking at her two friends.

Madi’s phone went off with a message tone and she grabbed it off her vanity to check it.

_Cole: I’m here_

“You better get going,” Harper encouraged with a smile.

“Okay,” Madi mumbled nervously and started to walk downstairs.

“She likes him,” Raven whispered to the two other women.

Madi’s nerves had her shot, she didn’t feel as nervous before but now being dressed up made her nervous.

“Nice job girls,” Clarke smiled as she walked over to examine her daughter. “Be safe,” She kissed her daughter’s cheek gently.

“How are you getting home?” Bellamy came over with a concerned frown.

“An uber,” Madi nodded nervously as she looked at her dad.

“Are you going to drink?” Her father raised his eyebrow.

“Yes but not too much,” Madi spoke up as she watched Murphy go to open the front door.

“Mr Ryan,” Murphy put his stern voice on as he crossed his arms.

“Hi Mr Murphy, I’m here to pick up Madi,” The nerves in Cole’s voice were obvious.

“Watch out for my niece, Mr Ryan,” Murphy spoke sternly. “Take care of her.”

“Of course, sir,” Cole’s voice made Madi even more nervous.

“Be home by midnight,” Bellamy’s voice was stern as he watched Madi.

“Bell,” Clarke warned with a deep frown. “She’s almost nineteen,” She turned to Madi slowly. “Just get home safe.”

“I’ll be home by 2 at the latest,” Madi promised and hugged her parents.

Her parents moved out of the way, giving Cole a clear view of her. He froze in place staring at her with a smile on her face.

“Wow,” Cole breathed out as Madi walked towards him, there was a long pause from him. “You look beautiful,” His smile grew before he started to stammer. “Not that you don’t always look beautiful, it’s just-.”

“Thank you,” Madi cut him off with a small smile. “We better get going.”

“Yeah,” Cole nodded slowly and led her down the stairs to the waiting Uber.

Madi felt butterflies in her stomach as Cole opened the car door for her. There was a silence between them on the ride over but she could feel him watching her.

“Can I tell you something?” Madi spoke quietly as she leant in closer to him and he did the same. “I think you like me,” she whispered quietly leaning in closer.

“I do,” he whispered, leaning in closer.

“Good,” she whispered as she leant in closer, her lips getting closer to his. “Boop,” she tapped her tapped her finger on the tip of his nose like he had done to her before.

“Stop,” He swatted away her hand as he pulled back laughing.

_______________________________________________________________

Madi was damn nervous walking into the party but Cole looked like he was in his element. She watched as he strode a few steps in front of her, weaving through the people who crowded the rooms until they made it to the kitchen.

“Hey Cole!” A boy Madi recognised from school as another member of the football team fist bumped Cole.

“Hey Ethan, good to see you,” Cole smiled brightly before putting his hand on Madi’s back. “This is Madi.”

“Oh I know Madi,” Ethan smirked and shook Madi’s hand. “Nice of you to finally join in on the fun.”

“Well it’s about time I let my hair down,” Madi smiled suddenly full of confidence.

“Good, there’s beer in the fridge over there or there’s wine coolers or spirits or soda,” Ethan smiled pointing where each thing was.

“I’m good with beer,” Madi smiled and looked up at Cole. “Want anything?”

“Beer would be good,” Cole smiled slowly.

Madi nodded slowly and walked towards the fridge, she was still in ear shot of them.

“Holy shit Cole, she has never come to a party before,” she heard Ethan say.

Madi grabbed the beers and turned back slowly walking back towards the boys, realising they were watching her. She let a small smirk play on her lips as she handed Cole the bottle.

“Got a bottle opener?” Cole asked Ethan who shook his head slowly.

“I got it,” Madi took her bottle to the bottom of her shoe and popped it open. “Here,” she smirked and swapped bottles with Cole before doing the same with the other bottle.

“Damn, that’s hot,” Ethan smirked slowly, leaning back on the bench behind him.

“I work in a bar, I’ve learnt some tricks,” Madi smirked and felt Cole’s finger tips brush her back as she took a sip of her beer.

“You’re getting more fun by the minute, Blake,” Ethan smirked as he watched Cole and Madi.

________________________________________________________

Madi and Cole had separated about three hours after they had arrived, he was pulled away by some of his other friends. Madi didn’t mind, she had been talking to Ethan and a few other people. She took a new bottle of beer and walked outside to get some fresh air. She was on her fifth beer and was enjoying her light buzz. She leant against the railing of the front porch letting the night air cool her skin.

“Madi Blake,” A female voice drew her attention, Madi to turned to find three girls walking towards her.

“Olivia, Mel, Sophie,” Madi spoke in a sweet voice knowing these girls were typical mean girls. “It’s nice to see you.”

“You’re here with Cole?” Sophie frowned slightly, crossing her arms.

Madi knew the girls were sizing her up. Madi was in their territory, wearing clothes that were closer to the style that they wore everyday rather than Madi’s usual laid back style. Madi was invading their territory. Probably that didn’t help that Sophie was dating Cole up until about four months ago. Sophie was a tall slender blonde that kind of resembled a barbie doll with her fake blonde hair and all too perfect makeup.

“Yeah, I am,” Madi kept her sweet voice on but she was holding back the urge to be sarcastic.

“So what are you two dating or something like that?” Mel spoke up now, in the pack mentality setting in.

“Or something like that,” A smirk played on Madi’s lips as she watched the girls get annoyed at her words. “What’s it to you anyway?”

“Well Sophie and Cole ar-.” Olivia started but Madi cut him off.

“Aren’t dating anymore,” Madi smirked and took a swig of her beer. “The ex before the word girlfriend has this magical effect that means that you don’t get a say in who he hangs out with or dates,” She watched the girls look shocked from Madi’s attitude towards them. “I’m going to walk away now, what I do after I leave is none of your business. What I do with Cole is also none of business but feel free to watch.”

Madi smirked as she turned to walk away. The beer was helping her confidence and she liked it. She didn’t make inside because a tipsy Cole had made it outside. His face lit up when he saw her.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Cole smiled and stopped in front of her, his hand reached to her waist to pull her closer to him.

“Miss me huh?” Madi smirked knowing the girls were watching her.

“Mmhmm,” He hummed happily. “I have an idea.”

“Oh and what’s that?” She smiled and looked up him as his other hand made it to the other side of her waist, keeping her close.

“We should do shots,” He smirked slowly.

“Only if they’re tequila,” As soon as the words left her mouth, Cole pulled her even closer. “Let’s do it,” she put her hand on his chest to give them a little space between them.

Cole just smiled taking her hand leading her into the house and into the kitchen. Ethan already had the shot lined up, cheering when he saw Madi and Cole coming closer to him.

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Ethan raised his eyebrow slowly.

Tipsy Madi was taking the challenge, tipsy Madi couldn’t back down from the challenge. Madi grabbed the first shot and downed it quickly, the amber liquor burning the way down to her stomach as Ethan cheered her on. She grabbed the second one and downed it just as fast as the first. She went to grab the third but Cole stopped her, taking the shot for himself. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

“I want you to remember tonight,” Cole whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against her ear.

Madi felt her heart start to race, every inch of her skin that was in contact with his skin was tingling like electricity was pulsing through it. She could smell his intoxicating scent, it was engulfing her.

“Madi, you are one serious badass!” Ethan cheered loudly and broke Madi out of her haze. “Cole, this one needs to stick around.”

“That’s the plan,” Cole smiled proudly and looked at Madi, his arm still firmly around her. “I’ve got to make sure she has a good summer, show her what she has been missing out of.”

“I will assist you in this most important task!” Ethan pledged loudly which just caused Cole to laugh. “We need to show her all of the party games she missed out on.”

“We do,” Cole nodded slowly.

“We should start with the easy ones, spin the bottle, truth or dare, 7 minutes in heaven,” Ethan’s eyes grew wide. “I’ll get the good people in the guest bedroom and will start.”

Madi felt her anxiety creeping through her drunken haze. The shots were making her head even more fuzzy. She needed to get away.

“I need some air,” Madi mumbled and walked out the back door of the kitchen into the cool night air.

“Madi!” Cole called out after her as he followed her out of the house. “You okay?”

“Yeah just needed some air,” She mumbled quietly, looking down.

“You don’t have to play the games if you don’t want to,” His voice dropped down to a softer tone. “I want you to have a good time.”

“I am,” She looked up at him with a small smile.

“Can I tell you something?” He lowered his voice and moved closer to her.

“Yeah,” She watched him as he put his hand on her waist pulling her closer to him.

“I think you like me,” His voice was low and husky as he inched closer to her.

“I do,” She whispered, the alcohol pushing her to actually admit it.

“Good,” He smirked slowly and leant even closer to her.

Madi was waiting for him to boop her nose, she was expected it. She didn’t expect what happened next. His lips made contact with hers in a gentle, timid kiss. His free hand laced into her hair as She rested her hand on his chest. He pulled away slowly, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Was that okay?” He whispered, nerves obvious in his voice, his fingers still laced in her hair.

“Yeah,” She breathed out with a small smile. “I liked that,” she mumbled quietly, the alcohol was making her filter drop.

“Good,” He mumbled, drawing her into another kiss.

This kiss was deeper and less timid than the first. Madi felt herself surrender to the kiss, returning it and letting her hand drift up behind his neck. She felt his strong arms looping her around her.

“Cole!” Sophie’s voice rang out, making Cole and Madi reluctantly break apart.

“Really,” Cole sighed, stepping back as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Madi felt reality crash through the haze as Sophie stormed over to Cole.

“What the hell Cole?” Sophie snapped loudly. “What are you doing? We’ve barely been broken up and now you’re here embarrassing me by parading this loner around in front of all of our friends,” Sophie yelled and Madi could feel the rage pulsing from the other girl’s body.

“It’s none of your business, Sophie,” Cole groaned loudly.

“She verbally attacked me in front of Olivia and Mel,” The rage in Sophie’s voice was building up more.

“Hold up,” Madi shook her head as she stepped closer to Sophie. “I told you that it was none of your business, just because you didn’t like my answer doesn’t mean that I attacked you,” Madi crossed her arms as she stared down Sophie.

“You think you’re so much better than everyone around you,” Sophie stepped closer to Madi, closing the space between them. “You know he doesn’t actually like you. He would never stoop to gutter trash like you.”

“Enough Sophie,” Cole growled putting a protective arm around Madi’s waist.

“Grow up,” Madi mumbled, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go,” she urged Cole and led him back to the house.

“Spin the bottle in the guest room,” Ethan announced to Cole and Madi.

“Let’s not play spin the bottle,” Cole spoke up keeping his arm around Madi’s waist.

“Why? It’s one of the classics,” Ethan frowned slowly looking at his friend.

“We’re not playing that,” Cole said firmly and pulled Madi closer to his side, causing her to put her hand on his chest to steady herself as she wobbled slightly.

“Yeah, okay, we’ll play truth or dare,” Ethan nodded finally cluing into what his friend was implying.

“I don’t want to share you,” Cole breathed into her hair before pressing a gently kiss to her temple.

“Are you claiming me?” Madi looked up at him and raised her eyebrow.

“No, I just don’t want to share you,” He lowered his voice.

“We’ll see if you get what you want,” she smirked teasingly as she walked away from him and his touch, upstairs to the guest bedroom.

Madi sat down on the bedroom as Cole sat next to her. Ethan passed them each a bottle of beer. Madi recognised the other two guys and three girls from school.

“Alright, Madi seeing as you’re the guest of honour, you can go first,” Ethan smirked. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Madi smirked slowly, taking a sip of her beer.

“Going in the deep end,” Ethan smirked and earned a few laughs from the others. “I’ll make it easy on you, call your dad and tell him you’re pregnant but act like you’re really upset.”

“Her dad’s our old history teacher,” One of the girls, Nicole laughed quietly.

“Alright but shut the door and be quiet.” Madi got her phone out of her back pocket as someone closed the door.

Madi called her dad on loud speaker, she knew he’d be drinking because that’s just what happened when their had movie nights.

“Madi, are you okay?” Bellamy answered just before it went to his voicemail, Madi could immediately tell he had been drinking.

“Dad, please don’t be mad at me,” Madi made her voice sound upset.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” His voice immediately turned serious.

“Promise me you won’t be mad,” Her voice cracked as she spoke.

“Madz, I promise, now what’s wrong?” His voice was full of concern.

“I’m pregnant,” She faked a sob and heard her dad sigh, she knew she couldn’t trick him.

“I’m glad, you’re having fun,” He chuckled quietly before hanging up.

“I knew it wouldn’t work,” Madi laughed and felt Cole’s hand run down her spine. “Ethan, pay back, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Ethan smirked.

“What’s your worst habit?” Madi smirked watching Ethan.

“I don’t have any,” Ethan shrugged slowly.

“Bullshit,” Cole chuckled, shaking his head.

“Fine, I get really messy when I’m drunk, if I’m sick, I’m sick everywhere,” Ethan chuckled embarrassed.

The game kept going, moving from back and forth from risqué questions and dare to just plain funny ones. Cole had shed his shirt and others had other pieces of clothes removed. Madi was a fair bit more drunk and more willing to do the dares.

“Madi, I dare you to straddle Cole’s lap and make out with him,” Ethan smiled as he pulled Nicole closer to him.

Madi’s breathing quickened as she knelt up to a chorus of cheers. She swallowed as she moved closer to Cole. She just took the plunge and straddled his lap, they were closer than they had ever been. Cole put his hands on her back as Madi put her hands on each side of his head before leaning into kiss him. There was an explosion of passion between them as their lips met. Everyone in the room melted out of her consciousness and just the two of them existed in this moment. His tongue parted her lips and she welcomed it as he pulled her closer to him. She didn’t feel the time that had passed, her focus was on him in this moment. She felt the passion between them pulsing through her body and her chest pound. She felt the electricity between them where their skin was connected.

Their lips broke apart but her forehead was still pressed against his and he gave a tender kiss before she pulled away. She turned so she was sitting between his legs with his arms wrapped around her. That’s when she noticed that most of the others had disappeared from the room leaving just Nicole and Ethan with them.

“We should go downstairs,” Cole whispered in her ear, making her realise that Ethan was making his move on Nicole.

Madi nodded slowly and got up, when she stood up she realised how drunk she actually was. Her head spun and she grabbed onto Cole to steady herself.

“I’ve got you,” Cole whispered keeping his arm firm around Madi.

“I’m going to get some water,” She started to walk downstairs with him.

Madi had realised that most of the party had dispersed when they went downstairs. There was still a fair few people there but a lot less than when they had gone upstairs. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and frowned when she saw that it was almost four in the morning.

“Maybe we should order the uber,” Cole suggested as he grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly, taking the bottle and headed outside the front of the house.

Madi took a long sip of her water as she felt his arms snake around her waist from behind.

“Maybe you should come back to my place,” he whispered and kissed her neck slowly, his hands moved to sit lower on her hips.

Madi felt her body tense up, she wasn’t ready for this and Cole sensed this, letting go of his hold of her stepping back. Madi missed his touch almost immediately when he let go of her and stepped away. She turned slowly to find him frowning down at his phone.

“I’m sorry,” Madi mumbled looking down. “I might just walk home.”

Madi turned on her heels slowly and started to walk down the street. Ethan’s house was only a fifteen minute walk from her house. She knew she had messed up, she must’ve. She didn’t know how this was supposed to happen. She had never dated anybody or even let herself like someone. She had never had let herself be so vulnerable. She felt like an idiot. She missed his touch and god it was making her feel worse. She was just walking as fast as she could, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Madi!” Cole’s voice called out to her as he ran after her but Madi didn’t stop. “Hey, stop,” He grabbed her arm to stop her from walking.

“What?” Madi snapped, glaring at him.

Madi was mad at herself but not at him. She felt stupid and didn’t have control of her emotions completely. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes and looked down immediately.

“I didn’t mean to make you upset or uncomfortable,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry,” he stepped forward putting his hand under her chin, lifting her head to make her look at him.

Madi closed her eye knowing that her tears were threatening to spill, she felt stupid. She moved away from him, she opened her eyes and started to walk away again. Cole stopped her again, pulling her towards him and into a deep kiss.

She melted into the kiss as he held her closer to him and laced his fingers into her hair. He pulled back from the kiss but kept his forehead against hers. They didn’t move from this position for a few seconds before She pulled back a little but he kept her close.

“I shouldn’t have suggested we go back to my place,” His voice was a quiet whisper. “I want to take this slow.”

“Me too,” She mumbled quietly and felt herself relax. “I haven’t done this before,” she whispered.

“Like dating someone?” He raised his eyebrow slowly. “Or…” He trailed off.

“Both,” she mumbled slowly, she felt her cheeks flush with colour. “I’m a virgin.”

“I’m really sorry about before,” His voice gave away his sincereness as his thumb stroked her cheek.

“I just don’t know how to do this, any of this,” she sighed quietly, feeling stupid again.

“That’s okay, we can learn how to make this work together,” He smiled slowly and gave her timid kiss. “Now let me walk you home.”

Madi let him lace his fingers into hers and started to walk slowly. They were in a comfortable silence as they walked down the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter three!  
I hope you like it!

Madi was surprised when she woke up, her hangover wasn’t too bad. She rolled over and grabbed her phone not really wanting to get up. She was surprised that it was only 10 in the morning, she saw her a message that made her smile.

_ Cole 8:37 am: Good morning x  _

_ Cole 8:38 am: I have to go to work but I wanted to let you know that I’m so happy that you came last night. I had a lot of fun with you x _

_ Madi 10:34 am: Morning, I had fun too. I’m glad I came out with you. Hopefully, your hangover isn’t too bad. _

Madi couldn’t stop smiling, god she was a sucker. She had let him bulldoze through her walls that she had never let anyone make a dent in. She had known him most of her life and she had always gotten butterflies in her stomach around him until she had learnt to ignore it. Now, she was embracing it but hoped that she wouldn’t regret letting him in.

“Wakey wakey,” Octavia’s voice echoed as the door to her room opened.

“Morning Madz,” Raven smiled as both of the older women walked into the bedroom.

“Morning,” Madi smiled sitting up slightly.

“So we need details,” Octavia spoke up, climbing into the far side of the bed.

“Let her have the coffee and painkillers first,” Raven frowned, passing Madi the mug of coffee but Madi shook her head at the offer of pain killers.

“My hangover isn’t bad,” Madi took a sip of the coffee and relished in the caffeine entering her body. “I’ve had uncle Jasper and Monty’s moonshine, this hangover is nothing.”

“That’s my girl,” Octavia smirked bumping her niece’s shoulder. “So you like this boy.”

Madi didn’t say it, she knew it was true but didn’t want to admit it aloud. She couldn’t stop the grin on her face.

“That boy is head over heels for you, I knew it last night,” Raven smiled and brushed Madi’s hair out of her face. “He was speechless when he saw you.”

“I told your Dad that he just saw his future son in law,” Octavia grinned widely making Madi Blush uncontrollably.

“So did you kiss?” Raven asked quietly and just watched her niece blush even more. “Way to go, Madz!”

“We’re so proud of you!” Octavia engulfed Madi into a tight hug and Raven joined in.

“So we thought the three of us and your mom could do a little shopping. Have ourselves a little girls’ day.” Raven smiled slowly.

“Sounds good,” Madi smiled, finishing her coffee. 

“I heard you were playing little game of truth or dare last night,” Clarke walked into the room slowly. 

“Sorry about that,” Madi laughed quietly. “I knew dad wouldn’t fall for it so I wasn’t worried about doing it.”

“If your father ever gives you trouble for playing truth or dare, remind him that he has accepted a lap dance from your uncle Murphy and I can tell you a lot more stuff he’s done because of that game,” Raven laughed, making Octavia and Clarke join in.

“I swear to god Dad and Murphy would marry each other if it wasn’t for you and Mom,” Madi deadpanned making the older woman laugh more.

“He believed you for a split second then remembered that you’re a virgin,” Clarke laughed quietly. “Alright girls, let’s get going.”

“Is Mini coming?” Madi asked quietly, she knew Mini was grounded but they sometimes caved and still let her do things.

“Nope, we caught her trying to sneak out again last night,” Clarke crossed her arms as she walked towards the door.

Clarke was walking out the room when Minerva pushed pass her mother into her sister’s room.

“You were at Ethan’s party with Cole Ryan?” Minerva frowned as she showed Madi the video on her phone.

The video was from someone’s snapchat story, in the video Cole had his arm around Madi’s waist as he whispered in her ear.

“You two look cute together,” Raven gushed and bumped Madi’s arm.

There were a few other videos of the party then there was a video of Madi and Cole kissing during truth or dare. It was when Madi was dared to straddle and make out with Cole.

“You’re embarrassing yourself,” Minerva frowned deeply. “You really think he’s interested in you? He was dating Sophie a couple of months ago,” she shoved her phone into her back pocket. “They hooked up at a party two months ago. You’re an idiot if you think he actually likes you.”

A frown started to set into Madi’s face, Minerva’s words sinking into her.

“Geeze Mini, you’re being a real bitch,” Octavia got off Madi’s bed with a deep frown. “Don’t listen to her, Madz.”

“She’s being fucking stupid,” Minerva snapped loudly. “Guys like Cole don’t go for girls like Madi.”

“And what type of girl am I, Mini?” Madi got up off her bed walking closer to Minerva.

“A stupid stuck up bitch,” Minerva glared at her sister, crossing her arms.

“Minerva Blake,” Clarke seethed, disgusted with her youngest daughter’s words. “Give me your damn phone and get your ass to your room.”

When Minerva didn’t hand over the phone, Clarke reached out and took it out of her youngest daughter’s back pocket.

“I’m cancelling your phone,” Clarke spoke firmly. “You’re grounded until the end of July.”

Minerva had already been grounded for two weeks from the other night plus whatever she got for sneaking out last night. Now she was grounded for six weeks.

“So Madi gets to go to a party, get fucking wasted, make a fool of herself and you’re happy for her,” Minerva frowned, anger seething through her voice. “But I go to a party and I’m fucking grounded?”

“One, Madi is 18, not 15. Two, Madi didn’t lie about where she was going. Three, Madi doesn’t break our rules,” Clarke’s anger was growing the more her daughter push back. “Go to your room now,” She didn’t raise her voice, her tone was enough.

“You’re not even my real mother,” Minerva muttered as she pushed passed Clarke. “My real mom isn’t that big of a bitch.”

Clarke just shook her head and rubbed her forehead.

“We’ll go as soon as you’re dressed,” Clarke’s tone softened as she looked at Madi.

“I don’t feel like it anymore,” Madi mumbled as she looked down. “I think I’m just going to hang around here.” 

“Madz, don’t let Mini’s foul attitude ruin your day,” Raven stepped forward and tried to comfort her niece.

“She already did,” Madi sighed walking to her bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Minerva was right, she was being stupid and making a fool of herself. Madi had been stupid to let her walls down to Cole. She was just a rebound for him. Or just a way to get back at his ex. God, she felt stupid. 

Madi got into her shower and let the hot water run over her body. She put her head under the water, trying to forget how stupid she felt. 

\------------------------------- 

Madi laid in bed most of the day, her mother and aunts had tried to cheer up but didn’t really work. She felt like shit and it had absolutely ruined mood she had woken up with. She had woken up in such a good mood and Minerva had completely ruined it.

Madi sighed as she forced herself out of bed to go downstairs to the kitchen. Madi didn’t want to but her stomach was telling her to eat. Madi saw Minerva in the kitchen making a sandwich.

“Madi, let me borrow your phone,” Minerva said as soon as she saw her older sister. “Theo’s not home and I want to text Jordan. I haven’t spoken to him all day.”

“No,” Madi answered bluntly as she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

“Madi, please,” Minerva pleaded with a half groan.

“Why should I?” Madi narrowed her eyes at her little sister.

“Because you’re my sister and you’re supposed to help me out,” The younger girl moved closer to her older sister.

“No, I don’t,” Madi turned on her heels and walked back upstairs.

“You’re such a bitch!” Minerva screamed after Madi.

“Mini get your food and go back up to her room!” Clarke snapped as she walked down the stairs but stopped when she met Madi halfway down the stairs.

“Mom, can I borrow Dad’s old truck?” Madi asked quietly.

“Of course,” Clarke spoke quietly put her hand on her daughter’s cheek. “Need to get away for a bit?”

“Yeah,” Madi nodded and looked down.

“Don’t listen to your sister okay?” Clarke lowered her voice quietly. “Why don’t you go hang out with Cole? He’s a nice boy.”

“No,” Madi spoke bluntly again. “Mini’s right, he’s just using me.”

Madi walked up the stairs slowly back to her bedroom. She knew her mother was following behind her.

“He likes you and I mean truly likes you,” Clarke spoke quietly. 

“How would you know?” Madi frowned sitting down on her bed.

“Because of the way he looked at you last night, it’s not just the fact you made him speechless,” Clarke sat down on the bed next to her daughter. “He looked at you like you’re his home, you’re where he belongs. It’s how I feel when I look at your father.”

Madi just frowned at her mother’s words, she didn’t get it completely.

“And I know you like him. Last night and this morning, you were more open about your emotions towards someone than I have ever seen you be before,” Clarke brushed the hair out of her daughter’s face. “Your sister is easily influenced and lashes out. Don’t let her make you close up to him. I want you to be open and happy. Okay?” 

Madi nodded and hugged her mother tightly. She let her mother’s words sink in. Madi needed to be able to block out her sister’s words with her walls down as she did when they were up. 

“I love you Madi,” Clarke whispered kissing her daughter’s head.

“I love you too,” Madi whispered still hugging her mom.

\----------------- 

Madi was happy to be out of the house for a while, she needed to clear her head. She was sitting in the bed of her dad’s old truck out at one of the lookouts as the sunset. Cole had texted her half an hour earlier asking if she wanted to hang out. Her mother’s words had sunk in and it was the main reason she agreed to hang out with Cole.

“Hey,” Cole's voice echoed as climbed up onto the bed of the truck over the side. 

“Hey,” Madi couldn’t help the smile on her face when she saw him.

“I got you something,” Cole passed her the brown paper bag he was holding and she opened the bag, pulling out the Styrofoam box out.

“How did you know this was my favourite?” Her smiled widened as she looked at the animal fries from the bar.

“Anya told me, extra bacon, not too much cheese, just the way you like them,” Cole smiled proudly as he settled next to her leaning his back against the cab of the truck. 

“Thank you,” She smiled and leant over giving him a shy kiss. 

“You’re welcome,” he grinned as he draped his arm around her shoulders. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I’m going to my uncle’s art studio, I go there every Monday and paint with him,” she took her fork and took a small bite. 

“I didn’t know you paint,” he watched her carefully and brushed some loose strains out of her face. “You’ll have to show me some of your work.”

“My mom likes to draw and paint, I take after her,” she spoke quietly. “My uncle Lincoln majored in art history at College, he runs the gallery in town. Five years ago, he opened an art studio, different artists come and use the space. My mom goes there twice a month and spends the whole day just painting, she’s even sold a couple of her works.”

“Have you sold any of yours?” His fingers played with her hair. 

“I’ve sold two, Lincoln’s friend from college came to the studio one day when I was working last year and asked if he could buy the piece I was working on,” she smiled at the memory. “He bought the second painting in January, he has them displayed in the entrance to his gallery in New York.”

“Holy shit. Madi that’s amazing!” He beamed and tightened his arm around her. 

“So have decided what you’re going to major in?” She changed the subject easily. 

“You’re going to laugh,” he shook his head slowly. “I’m doing the pre-med program. I want to be an ER doctor.”

“That’s awesome,” she smiled looking at up at him. 

“You think so?” He asked unsurely. 

“Yeah, you should be proud of yourself. The pre-med program at Arkadia is really hard to get into,” she watched him carefully. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled shyly and he leant down giving her a gentle kiss. “So what do your family do?”

“Well you know what my parents do, my aunt O owns the gym in town with my aunt Harper, my aunt Raven is an engineer, you know what Murphy and Lincoln do,” she paused for a moment. “Monty is a biologist and Jasper is a writer.”

“Wow, that’s a diverse lot,” he chuckled quietly. 

“Some of them together are deadly,” she laughed quietly. “Jasper is quite intelligent, he studied chemistry and Biology in college but decided writing suited him a lot better. Put him and Monty together, they’re a deadly combination. They make moonshine that could knock you on your ass faster than you can what.”

“You’ve got the perfect mix of people in your family to rule the world,” he smirked slowly. “You just need a doctor in the mix and it’ll be perfect,” he leant down and kissed her slowly. 

“What are you implying Mr Ryan?” She raised her eyebrow at him slowly as she pulled away from the kiss. 

“You just need to add me into the mix and it’ll be perfect,” he spoke boldly with a smirk. “I need to take you out on a proper date.”

“You need to?” She questioned, her eyebrow still raised. 

“Yep, so I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at 7,” he smiled brightly, his fingers still playing with her hair. 

“Can it be Tuesday instead? I’m probably going still going to be at the studio until late tomorrow,” she bit her lip as she watched him. 

“Tuesday sounds good,” he leant down and kissed her gently. 

“So what are we going to do on this date?” She nestled into his side slowly. 

“You’ll just have to see Blake,” he chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

Madi’s phone started to ring loudly and made her jump slightly. She grabbed it and saw her dad’s name flashing. 

“Hey dad,” Madi answered quietly. 

“Hey Madz, you please bring my truck back? Jasper needs to borrow it.” Her father’s voice was relaxed which told her he was in a good movie.

“Yeah okay, I’ll head back now.” She spoke quietly and triggered Cole to start cleaning up her finished food. “Is it alright if Cole comes over?”

There was a long pause from her father but she could hear her mother prompting him to say yes. 

“Yeah, sure,” his voice was unsure and she knew that he was just being protective.

“Thanks, Dad,” she hung up and turned to Cole who had jumped off the bed of the truck to throw the rubbish in the bin. “I need to take my Dad’s truck back but did you want to come hang out at my place?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Cole grinned offering his hand out to Madi to help her off the back of the truck. “I’ll meet you there,” he gave her a gentle kiss before walking over to his car. 

\---------------------------

Madi got out of the truck with a happy smile as Cole got out of his car and strolled over to her so they could walk up to the house together. When they walked into the house, they found Bellamy, Jasper, Octavia and Raven in the lounge room.

“Guys, this is Cole,” Madi spoke shyly as she felt Cole put his hand on her back. “Cole, you know my dad, Bellamy, my aunts Raven and Octavia. My uncle Jasper.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Cole smiled brightly, his hand stayed on her back.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Raven smiled as she got up and walked over shake his hand followed by Octavia.

Jasper got up with a stern look on his face which Madi thought was completely foreign. Jasper tried to make his stance firm as he stood in front of Cole.

“What are your intentions with my niece?” Jasper’s voice came out stern.

“Jasper, no,” Bellamy tried to stifle a laugh as he got up.

“Shut up, Bellamy,” Jasper growled and turned his attention to Cole again. “Answer the question.”

“My intentions are honourable, I swear,” Cole answered calmly looking Jasper in the eyes.

“Alright, he’s good,” Jasper nodded clapping Cole on the back. “Madz, you tell me if he messes up at all, I’ll beat him up.”

“Alright tough guy,” Octavia laughed loudly, grabbing Jasper by the arm. “Just ignore him, Cole. He likes to pretend he’s a tough guy.”

“That’s okay,” Cole chuckled rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s nice to see you again, Cole,” Bellamy smiled and shook Cole’s hand.

“It’s nice to see you too, Mr Blake,” Cole smiled shaking Bellamy’s hand.

“Please call me Bellamy,” Bellamy let go of Cole’s hand.

“Alright Bellamy,” Cole’s voice gave away a small amount of nerves.

“Here Jasper,” Madi handed Jasper the keys to the truck as Clarke walked into the lounge room.

“Hi Cole, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Clarke, Madi’s Mom,” Clarke smiled and shook Cole’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Clarke,” Cole smiled shaking Clarke’s hand.

“What are you and your family doing for the 4th of July?” Raven spoke up with a knowing grin.

“My parents are out of town for a wedding all that weekend,” Cole smiled easily as he looked at Raven.

“We’re all heading to a lake house we rent every year. You should join us,” Octavia grinned widely sharing a knowing look with Clarke and Raven who both smiled.

“Wow, that would be great,” Cole smiled and looked at Madi.

“We’re leaving on Wednesday but Madi’s coming down on the Friday, you could go with her,” Clarke smiled. “It’ll make me feel better that she’s not driving down by herself.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” Cole smiled and looked at Madi again.

“We’re going to go upstairs,” Madi spoke shyly and start to walk upstairs with Cole.

Madi sat down on her bed and unzipped her boots as she watched Cole look around the room with a smirk on his face. 

“Did you paint this?” Cole smiled as he touched the mural of the grey man pressed up against the wall.

The painting on the wall was of a black and grey man pressed up against the wall, he was looking down and his flat against the wall.

“Yeah, I painted it a few years ago,” Madi smiled and watched Cole walk over to her.

“You’re amazing,” He smiled and bent down to kiss her slowly.

“Madi!” Minerva’s voice made Cole and Madi break apart.

“What Mini?” Madi’s tone gave away how annoyed she was at her sister.

“I need your phone now,” Minerva crossed her arms and glared at her sister.

Madi didn’t say anything and got up, closing the door. Madi sighed taking her hair out its ponytail, shaking it free.

“I love it when you have your hair out,” Cole smirked as he sat down on her bed.

Madi smiled looking down as her cheeks flushed red.

“Come here,” He smirked, grabbing her hand pulling into her onto his lap.

Madi took him into a deep kiss as his hands moved up her back. She surrendered herself to him and let him flip her onto her back. He hovered his body over hers as he deepened the kiss. 

Madi felt her whole body tingled with electricity under his. The excitement was building up inside her as he parted her lips with his tongue. His body pressed down on her and she could feel him hard against her leg. When he grinded his hips against her, she moaned into his mouth. He pulled back from the kiss and hovered his body over hers again.

“We should stop,” he breathed out, his heavy breathing matched hers.

“Yeah,” she whispered and she closed her eyes slowly as he rolled off her.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked nervously, brushing hair out of her face.

“Yeah,” Madi breathed out, rolling onto her side and opening her eyes. 

“Good,” he visibly relaxed and gave her an innocent peck.

The sound of Cole’s phone ringing forced him to sit up and fished it out of his pocket. He sighed loudly before answering it.

“What?” Cole’s voice had gone from being so gentle to anger.

Madi sat up slowly and got off the bed, walking to her bathroom. she splashed water onto her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed red but her breathing was now steadied.

“What do you mean?” Cole’s voice snapped as Madi came out of the bathroom. “Why wouldn’t you tell me this sooner?” 

Cole got up and started pacing the length of her room. He looked distraught as he raked his hand through his hair.

“Alright, I’m coming,” He sighed and rubbed his forehead before hanging up.

There was a long silence in the room and Madi didn’t know what to do or say.

“I’ve got to go,” Cole mumbled before walking out raking his hand down his face. 

Madi walked out of her room and followed him down the stairs. He just walked out of the house and Madi just stood at the bottom of the stairs confused.

“What happened?” Raven asked quietly as she walked over to Madi. 

“I don’t know,” Madi mumbled quietly, still confused. “He just got a call and said he needed to go.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Raven assured quietly.

“See I told you you’re being stupid,” Minerva smirked from the top of the stairs. “Get it through your thick skull, he doesn’t like you.”

“Minerva!” Bellamy’s voice boomed as he stormed to the bottom of the stairs. “I have had enough of your attitude towards your sister! You’re not coming to the lake and you’re sure as hell not going to be doing anything this summer!”

“That’s so unfair, all I’ve told her is the truth,” Minerva groaned loudly. “Echo was right about you and Clarke.”

“Echo was right? She’s contacted you?” Bellamy flushed white as Minerva stormed back to her room.

“You okay Madi?” Raven asked quietly.

“Do you want the keys to the studio?” Octavia asked quietly, knowing her niece needed to get away and the studio was one of the best places for her to get away to.

“Yeah please,” Madi nodded slowly.

“Knock yourself out babe, take as much time as you need,” Octavia got up and handed Madi the keys before giving her a hug.

“Tell Mom and Dad I’ll be back tomorrow,” Madi mumbled before going upstairs to grab her jacket and wallet.

\---------------------------------------------- 

Madi had been awake all night, she had been painting all night working all night. Getting away from anything and putting herself in a bubble, blocking out the world helped her calm down. She had been working on a new piece helped her work through her emotions. The confusion she felt over what had happened with Cole and the feeling of betrayal she felt from Minerva’s actions.

She had painted a woman drowning in a stormy ocean. It showed the woman’s face in detail, the terror in her eyes and silent cry leaving her lips under the water. The woman’s hair was over her face like a dark claw pulling her under. Her hands reaching out for help that would never come. She was alone in a rough unforgiving ocean. It was on a huge canvas and Madi was surprised she had finished it in the 14 hours she had been in the studio. 

“Hey Madz,” Lincoln spoke up as he walked into the studio.

“Hey Linc, thanks for letting me use the studio,” Madi spoke quietly, her voice horse from being awake all night.

“You’re always welcome to use the studio whenever you want to,” He spoke as he walked up behind her. “Here, thought you could use this,” he handed her a large coffee.

“Thank you,” Madi put down her paintbrush and took the coffee with a smile.

“This is really good,” Lincoln crossed his arms and examined the painting. “You only did this last night?”

“Yeah, I just started and couldn’t stop,” She spoke quietly and took a long sip of her coffee.

“Mind if I send a picture of this to Vincent?” Lincoln got his phone out of his pocket.

“Go for it,” She moved away so he could take a photo. 

“You know he’s had a fair few people asking if he had any of your works available for sale,” he explained as he typed on his phone. 

“You’re kidding,” She felt her jaw drop as she looked at him.

“He called me last night, he wanted me to ask you if you’d be interested in letting him get a few of your pieces to put up for sale in his gallery,” He explained still typing on his phone.

“Holy shit,” She breathed out in shock.

“He said if you want he has space for five pieces,” He explained and put his phone back in his pocket. “It’ll get you some money for college.”

“Will you help me pick what ones to send him?” She asked with a small smile and hugged him.

“Of course,” He smiled and hugged her. “Well, I think this one definitely but I want to get them all scanned so we can have digital copies of them,” He smiled slowly. “I pull some ones I think you should consider today but you need to go home and get some sleep.”

“Thanks,” Madi mumbled yawning, realising how tired she actually was. “This is O’s key,” She went to hand him the keys from her pocket.

“Keep them, so you can come to the studio whenever you want.” He smiled watching her eyes light up. “Want me to give you a ride?”

“Thanks, it’s okay, I’ll walk,” She grabbed the phone and her jacket. “I’ll see you later.”

\----------------------------------------------

Madi shut her curtains and crawled into exhausted, she needed to sleep. She was so tired but she still grabbed her phone to look at it. She hadn’t touched it all night and was curious if Cole had texted her. She opened her messages with a yawn.

_ Cole 11:37 pm: I’m sorry I had to leave, I needed to deal with some stuff _

_ Cole 11:45 pm: Shit is so messed up right now. _

_ Cole 11:50 pm: Please don’t be mad at me, I just need to figure this out then I can tell you. _

_ Cole 12:00 am: I’m sorry Madi, I’ve fucked this up. _

_ Madi 9:46 am: I was at my uncle’s studio all night and didn’t check my phone until now. You don’t need to explain to me. I get it.  _

Madi could feel her eyes start to close but she forced herself to stay awake when she saw the three bouncing dots meaning he was replying.

_ Cole 9:49 am: No, it’s not like that. Please meet me tonight and I’ll explain it all. _

_ Madi 9:50 am: Okay, pick me up at 8. _

Madi felt her eyes close on her and sleep take over her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I know I'm a day late, I'm sorry!  
Thank you so much for the comments!  
My mind is blown from the support you guys give me!

Madi had slept most of the day, she had woken up at about 6 pm. She walked downstairs with a yawn as she adjusted her hair in its ponytail. Her stomach grumbled for food and she needed to get something before she getting ready for Cole to pick her up. She found her mom in the kitchen getting dinner ready.

“Hey Baby girl,” Clarke gave her a bright smile.

“Hey Mom I’m just grabbing an apple, Cole’s picking me up at 7 and I need to shower,” Madi yawned again.

“I’ll save you some dinner just in case,” Clarke continued to cut up the veggies. “Lincoln told me about Vincent wanting to sell some of your pieces in his gallery. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Lincoln is pulling some pieces he thinks I should send,” Madi smiled slowly as she picked up an apple from the bowl. “It’ll be a good way for me to get more money for college.”

“Exactly,” Clarke smiled brightly watching her daughter.

“I’m going to grab a shower,” Madi nodded slowly before heading upstairs.

\-------------------- 

Madi walked downstairs slowly when Cole sent her a message telling her he was here. She walked towards his car automatically and got in. Once she was in the car she could see the effect whatever had happened had on him. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked completely drained. Madi felt her chest ache looking at him like this.

“Are you okay?” Madi’s voice came out as a quiet whisper and she reached out to touch his arm.

“No,” Cole looked down shaking his head. “I’ll explain when we get to my place okay?” His voice broke as he spoke.

“Okay,” She nodded, moving her hand to hold his and give it a reassuring squeeze.

Cole brought her hand to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss before letting go to start driving. 

The drive was silent and Madi’s mind was racing about what was going on. Cole had driven to his house and Madi noticed that he hadn’t looked at her at all, this made her mind race even more. When they stopped, Cole led her into the house and upstairs to his room.

Madi examined the room she was led into, it had floor to ceiling windows letting a lot of natural light into the room. Everything was modern and sleek. The furniture was a dark almost black wood. She noticed that the whole room was very clean and organised. She sat down on the bed and let her hands touch the grey bedspread.

“What’s going on?” Madi asked quietly after a long silence between them.

“I need to explain it all,” Cole started to pace the length of the room. “Because I don’t want this to ruin us,” He looked distraught and this broke Madi’s heart to see the look on his face.

“Cole, I’m sure it’s going to be okay,” she spoke quietly watching him.

“About two months ago, I got drunk at a party and hooked up with Sophie,” His voice made Madi realised how much he hated what he had done. “I regretted it immediately. I broke up with her because of how toxic she is, I needed to get myself away from that.”

There was another long silence, Cole had stopped pacing and just leaned against the door, looking down, still not able to look at her.

“Sophie was the one who called me last night,” his voice broke again as he rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s pregnant,” his voice broke even more.

There was another silence as Madi processed the news. She wasn’t happy about this, that was for sure but was she going to let this ruin what they were starting together? No, it had happened and that was life. Was she going to punish him for this? No, this happened before them and Cole was tearing himself up about this.

“Okay,” Madi spoke quietly and got up slowly. “Are you feeling about this?”

“I want to get a paternity test as soon as possible,” He spoke quietly still looking down at the ground. “I’m sorry Madi.”

“Why are you apologising to me?” She whispered as she walked over to him.

“I’ve ruined this,” He mumbled and raked his hand through his hair. “Why would you want to have anything to do with me when I’m about to have a baby at 18 with someone else?”

“That doesn’t matter,” She spoke quietly. “My Mom had me a week before she turned 17 and my dad was about to turn 20.”

“This is such a mess and you shouldn’t have to deal with this,” His voice showed how vulnerable he was.

“We don’t even know if the baby is yours,” she spoke quietly. “Even if the baby is yours, that’s okay. It doesn’t change the way that I feel about you or the fact that I want to see where this goes between us.” 

Madi had never felt this way about anyone when he crashed through her walls, she didn’t know what had happened but it made feel like being by his side was where she belonged. Seeing him hurt, made her chest ache. She knew she had a connection with him but didn’t know how strong that connection was until this moment.

“Come here,” she whispered and put her arms around his neck.

As soon as she wrapped her arms around his neck, his arms wrapped around her, engulfing her into a tight high. His head buried into the crook of her neck as he held her tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as his voice broke again.

“Hey stop apologising,” she pulled back slightly and took his face in between her hands. “You have nothing to apologise for, Cole,” She got up onto her tippy toes to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

“Stay with me tonight?” He asked quietly, his forehead was pressed against her forehead. “Please,” the need in his voice was obvious.

“Of course,” she whispers, her voice shaking slightly with nerves.

“I just want to hold you,” He whispered quietly. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she whispered and gave him another kiss.

“Thank you,” he whispered and relaxed, holding her tightly.

  
\--------------- 

  
Madi and Cole had been cuddling watching a movie when Cole’s dad opened the door. The sudden noise made Madi jump and sit up. Cole paused the movie and sat up slowly. The older man didn’t look angry but he wasn’t happy. Cole’s dad had the exact same appearance as Cole, only older.

“Hey dad,” Cole rubbed his face slowly.

“Here use these,” Cole’s Dad threw a large box of condoms at Cole. “Don’t want you to get this one pregnant too.”

“Dad,” Cole sighed and put the box on his bedside table. “This is Madi, you know her.”

“Bellamy Blake’s girl?” His dad raised an eyebrow slowly.

“Yes sir,” Madi spoke up and nodded slowly.

“I haven’t seen you since you were in middle school,” Mr Ryan grinned widely before turning serious. “You know what’s going on with Cole and Sophie?”

“Yes sir,” Madi nodded.

“And you’re still here with him?” Mr Ryan raised his eyebrow slowly.

“Yes sir,” Madi said firmly. “Just because Cole made a mistake doesn’t mean that he should be punished more.”

“And what if the baby is his?” Mr Ryan raised his eyebrow slowly.

“Then Cole is going to need all the support he can get,” Madi spoke quietly as she looked at Mr Ryan.

“And what’s your plan in all of this?” The older man questioned causing his son to sigh.

“Dad,” Cole warned with a loud sigh.

“No Cole, I want to know,” Mr Ryan crossed his arms. “What are you going to do when he has a baby that he needs to help raise?”

“Help him in any way that I can,” Madi spoke firmly not backing down. “If he is the father then I’m going to help him in whatever way I can and support him through this.”

“Headstrong, I like her,” Mr Ryan suddenly smiled. “Don’t let him knock you up. You’re too smart for that.”

“Being smart has nothing to do with getting pregnant, it can happen if you use all the precautions,” Madi knew she was being a smartass and probably shouldn’t have.

“True,” Mr Ryan nodded slowly. “Dinner is ready,” He closed the door slowly.

“I’m sorry,” Cole sighed quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s okay,” Madi gave him a reassuring smile and a gentle kiss. 

“Come on, you must be hungry,” He got off the bed slowly.

“I could use something to eat,” she smiled slowly and got up off the bed. “Our first dinner date is with your parents,” She chuckled quietly as he took her hand to lead her downstairs.

Madi remembered Cole’s mother because she was friends with her nan. She was a lovely woman and Madi had fond memories of her kindness.

“Madi, it’s so nice to see you,” Mrs Ryan smiled widely and hugged Madi.

“It’s nice to see you too, Mrs Ryan,” Madi smiled as she pulled away from the hug slowly.

“Please call me Jane,” Jane smiled and moved aside to let the young couple walk into the dining room. 

Cole pulled the chair out for Madi to sit in before taking the seat next to her.

“Thank you,” Madi smiled slowly. 

They all served themselves dinner and started to eat in a comfortable silence.

“Has my son taken you out on a proper date yet?” Jane asked quietly with a small smile.

“No not yet, we were planning to go out tomorrow night but I think in the light of recent events, we’re going to put it off for a little while,” Madi spoke quietly before taking another bite of her food.

“Madi’s parents invited me to go to the lake house they rent for the 4th of July,” Cole explained as he pushed his food around his plate. 

“It’ll be good for you to get away from the drama here for a few days,” Jane smiled slowly.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get away from the drama when Sophie’s involved,” Cole sighed rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well that’s what you get for getting her pregnant,” Mr Ryan muttered through his teeth. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t, it was a mistake,” Cole sighed loudly looking down. 

“Enough Henry,” Jane scolded. “We’ve already gone over this, besides we don’t even know it’s actually true until we go to the doctors to get her blood test,” Jane looked at her son. “I’m going with her to make sure she doesn’t pull any funny business.”

“Jane, do you really think it wise for Cole to start dating someone else when there’s another girl out there who might be having his baby?” Henry spoke roughly and glance at his son.

Madi felt awkward now, it was obvious that Henry didn’t think that Madi should be here. She felt Henry’s eye on her and the disapproval in his gaze making her feel more uncomfortable.

“Maybe I should go,” Madi spoke quietly and stood up.

“Sit back down sweetheart,” Jane spoke up and Madi complied. “Madi has a good head on her shoulders, she’s exactly the type of person I want around Cole.”

“If you say so sweetheart,” Henry’s voice softened. “Forgive me, Madi. This has been a turbulent time for our family and I haven’t been in the best mood for company.”

“I understand,” Madi spoke quietly but still felt awkward sitting there.

The rest of the dinner was finished in an awkward silence and Madi felt uncomfortable. Madi offered to clear the table after dinner and Cole helped her while Jane started the dishes.

“I think I should go home,” Madi whispered quietly as she collected the plates from the table.

“No, it’s okay, I want you to stay,” Cole moved closer to her and reached for her hand.

“Your parents don’t want me here for dinner let alone spending the night,” Madi whispered putting the plates down again and rubbed her forehead.

“My dad is just unhappy with what’s going on because he was the first one to tell me to get away from Sophie and I didn’t listen to him,” He sighed quietly knowing there wasn’t going to be much to say that would make her stay. “Please stay.”

“Madi?” Jane’s voice echoed as she walked out of the kitchen. “Are you staying the night? I wouldn’t want to send you home this late.”

Madi looked at the clock and it was almost 9:30 pm. She bit her lip looking down slowly.

“I think I’ve stayed longer than my welcome,” Madi spoke quietly as Henry walked into the dining room. “I should leave after I help finish cleaning up.”

“Henry, you’ve made the poor girl uncomfortable,” Jane hissed to Henry as he walked towards her.

“I don’t want you to leave on my part, you’re welcome anytime in this house,” Henry’s voice showed his guilt as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I have a complete asshole to you tonight,” his voice was guilt-filled under the eyes of his wife and son.

“Please stay,” Cole’s eyes pleaded and this wasn’t a plea she could ignore.

Madi was drawn to stay, her chest was aching at the thought of leaving. She was crazy to feel this deeply for him so quickly. She didn’t know what exactly was it but her walls breaking down had made this all hard and fast. She was scared, excited and complete all at the same time. 

“Okay,” Madi whispered quietly and went back to clearing the plates.

“I’ll do that,” Henry took the plates off Madi. “You guys go upstairs.”

“Come on,” Cole took her hand gently.

  
\---------------- 

  
They had spent most of the night watching a movie and cuddling. Close to 11:30 pm when the movie ended and Cole got up off the bed slowly. He took his shirt off, giving Madi a good view of his abs and the deep v that led to where his shorts were resting low on his hips. Madi couldn’t help but stare at him and bite her lip slowly.

“Madi?” Cole’s voice broke her out of her gaze at his abs.

“Mmm?” Madi hummed at looked at his face this time that made him chuckle quietly.

“Do you want to grab a shower with me?” He asked quietly. “Just a shower,” He clarified.

“Just a shower?” she asked quietly.

“I promise, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” He assured quietly.

“Okay,” Her mouth moved before her brain could catch up.

The nerves were building up inside her as she got up slowly walking towards him.

“We can stop whenever you want okay?” He whispered quietly as they walked into the bathroom.

Madi nodded and kissed him slowly, she felt him put his hands on her back drawing her close. She surrendered to the kiss as he deepened as his fingers found the hem of her shirt. She felt a burning desire building up insider as she felt him slowly start to pull her shirt up. Cole broke the kiss to pull her shirt off and he took a moment to examine her. He moved in to kiss her neck gently and unclasp her bra. He pulled away to look at her again. Madi watched as he dropped his shorts and let them fall to the ground. Madi felt her eyes travel down his body until she took in the sight of his semi-hard member. She had never seen one in this state, it made the desire burning inside of her more intense. She bit her lip as she let her eyes travel back up to his eyes.

“Is this okay?” Cole asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Madi’s voice came out as a half moan involuntarily which made him smirk.

He moved to kiss her neck again slowly which caused a quiet moan to leave her lips. He kissed down along her collar bone, down her sternum and down her stomach as he got down on his knees in front of her. He placed a feather-light kiss on her hip as his fingers rested on the button of her shorts. He looked up at her to make sure everything was alright and she nodded, biting her lip. He unbuttoned her shorts and undid the zipper. He slowly and gently pulled down her shorts along with her underwear. He got up slowly and stepped back to examine her appearance.

Madi was suddenly filled with her urge to cover up and started to her arms to cover herself. Cole stopped her gently as he stepped closer to her.

“You’re beautiful,” He whispered and brushed the loose strands of her hair out of face.

Madi was nervous for the fact that she had never been naked in front of anyone before. Cole’s touch made all of her nerves disappear. Cole leant down and kissed her slowly, his hands exploring her back down to the curve on her ass. 

“I should turn the water on,” He mumbled against her lips before pulling away.

Cole opened the shower door and turned the water on, holding his hand under the water to feel the temperature. Madi took this opportunity to hug him from behind, she kissed the bare skin of his back before resting her cheek on his back.

“Ready to get in?” Cole asked quietly after a few moments.

“Yeah,” she felt a smile start to creep onto her face.

Cole took her hands and led her into the shower.

“Is this okay?” Cole asked as he turned around slowly.

“Yeah,” Madi smiled shyly which made him smile slowly.

Madi watched him as got the body wash and started to wash her body. He took care gently washing her body, taking care not touch anywhere she may feel uncomfortable with. It wasn’t sexual but it was very intimate.

“Are you okay?” He asked quietly when he was finished washing her body.

“Yeah,” she smiled shyly as she took the body wash and started to wash his body.

She took her time running her hands down his abs slowly. She avoided areas she wasn’t ready to touch. When she was finished, she got up onto her tippy toes and gave him a small kiss.

“Ready to get out?” He asked quietly brushing the hair out of her face.

“Yeah, I’m tired,” she yawned quietly. 

He gave her a gentle kiss and got out grabbing his towel wrapping it low around his hips. He grabbed her a clean towel and handed it to her.

“I’ll grab you a shirt you can wear to bed,” He smiled easily as he walked back into the bedroom. 

“You might never get the shirt back,” She laughed quietly as she followed him into the bedroom. 

“It’ll probably look better on you anyway,” he smiled slowly and handed her a faded black t-shirt.

Madi dropped the towel and pulled the shirt on before bringing her hand up to her mouth shyly.

“Perfect,” he smiled pulling her closer by her waist and gave her a gentle kiss.

“I need to get up early to go to the studio,” She spoke quietly stifling another yawn. “I’ve got to pick five pieces to send to my uncle’s friend, he’s putting them for sale in his gallery.”

“Are you serious?” He raised his eyebrows slowly with a grin from ear to ear.

“Yeah, he said that he’s had a bunch of people ask if he has any of my pieces for sale because they like the two he has displayed,” she felt her cheeks blushing red as she watched his proud smile as he watched her.

“That’s amazing,” he mumbled against her lips as he kissed her deeply. “You’re amazing.”

Madi felt an overwhelming feeling wash over her, looking at him, she felt like she belonged next to him. Now whenever she thought of her future, he was there. Her chest ached painfully at the thought of him not being in her future. The feelings were all overwhelming and it made her head spin.

“How did this happen?” Madi asked quietly and watched him pull a confused face. “It’s just that,” she moved to sit on the bed. “last week we hadn’t really hung out with each other since we were kids. How did this happen so fast?” She gestured between them.

Cole suddenly smiled brightly as he stepped closer to her.

“You let me in and well that was the best decision you’ve ever made,” He smirked and leant down to kiss her.

“I’m serious Cole,” she looked up at him.

“I can’t explain it either but it feels right,” his hands slipped under her thighs, lifting her up so she was in the middle of his bed.

He kissed her slowly making her lay down, she could feel him smile against her lips. He pulled back from the kiss with a smile as he brushed her hair out her face.

“Being with you feels right,” He hovered above her.

“It does,” she admitted quietly and kissed him again slowly. “It’s been hard and fast.”

“You know what I think?” He smiled slowly.

“What?” She watched him slowly.

“I think you like me,” he lowered his body, minimising the space between them.

“I do,” she bit her lip as she stared into her eyes.

“Boop,” He suddenly reached up and tapped his finger to the tip of her nose.

“Cole!” She groaned as he rolled off her laughing before getting up to put a pair of boxers on.

“Are you mad at me?” He pouted as he climbed back onto the bed.

“I hate you,” she grumbled and got under the covers, facing away from him.

“No you don’t,” He smirked as he got under the covers behind her and pulled her into his arms. “Get some sleep,” He whispered and kissed the back of her head.

Madi felt herself relax in his arms, despite being in a completely new environment and situation, in his arms she felt safe. She felt herself start to drift off in his hold, her body completely relaxed. Just before she completely fell asleep, she felt him press a kiss in her hair. 

“I love you, Madi,” He whispered quietly as if he was afraid to wake her up.

The thing was she was still awake and heard it. The words made her chest explode with emotion and she felt her world spin. Madi knew Cole thought she was asleep when he said it but that didn’t stop the emotions flowing through her.

  
\-------------------- 

  
Madi woke up to Cole tightening his arms around her, she smiled as he squeezed her. She felt him kiss her behind her ear. Madi felt all the memories from last night and him whispering that he loved her when he thought she was asleep. Madi felt her heart start to pound so hard in her chest that she thought it would break through her ribs.

“I could get used to this,” Cole whispered and kissed the spot behind her ear again.

“What? My morning breath and messy hair?” Madi whispered and knowing that her hair was sticking up in all different directions like it did every morning.

This happened to her hair no matter what way her hair went to bed. Even in braids, her hair would always find a way to become a mess.

“It can’t be that bad,” he chuckled knowing she had turned to face him yet.

“You’ll be surprised,” She laughed and turned around slowly in his arms.

“Oh no, it’s horrible,” He chuckled and brushed the hair out of her face. “You’re beautiful,” he gave her a gentle kiss.

“I need to go to the studio,” she sat up slowly. “I would like to stay in bed with you all day but I can’t let your abs distract me from the real world,” she watched him lean up to kiss her again before she got up off the bed.

“I should come to the studio with you, I want to see your work,” He got up from the bed, adjusting his semi-hard self in his boxers.

“Not today, maybe another time,” She spoke quietly as she took her hair out of what remained of her ponytail and shook her hair free. 

“How about I take you out for dinner tonight?” Cole watched her as he grabbed a pair of jeans from his draws.

“I think you need to focus on what’s going on with Sophie before we go to the lake house on Friday,” she spoke quietly as she put her shorts on.

Cole frowned deeply as he watched her, she could see his mind was racing by the way his eyes searched her face. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He asked, his voice full of worry, fear obvious on his face.

“No,” She shook her head slowly and walked closer to him. “You did nothing wrong,” she put her hand on his cheek and gave him a gentle kiss. “You need to focus on what’s going on but I’ll see you on Friday morning.”

“Okay,” He sighed rubbing the back of his neck, the look of disappointment still on his face.

  
\----------------------------------

  
Madi was sitting on a stool as she stared at the half a dozen canvas in front of her. She was trying to choose which other four she was going to send to Vincent’s gallery. She had been staring at them for the last hour. The door of the studio opened making Madi jump slightly. She turned to see Octavia putting her bag on one of the tables.

“Hey Madz, how long have you been here?” Octavia spoke quietly as she walked over to her niece.

“Hey O, an hour,” Madi sighed quietly. 

“Let’s go get some coffee, it’ll clear your head,” Octavia spoke quietly kissing the top of her niece’s head.

“Yeah,” Madi stood up slowly and walked out of the studio as one of the artists that hired one of the studio rooms walked in.

Madi and Octavia walked into one of the café’s that was a short walk from the studio. They ordered and sat down.

“Your Mom told me that you spent the night at Cole’s house,” Octavia smirked slowly.

“Yeah, I did,” Madi spoke quietly fiddling with her hem of Cole’s shirt that she was still wearing.

“What’s wrong?” Octavia frowned slowly as she watched Madi intently. 

“Cole’s mad at me,” Madi sighed quietly and ran her hand through her hair. “That’s not even the problem.”

“Well, what’s the problem?” Octavia leant forward and palmed the coffee that had just been delivered to them.

“This is all happening so fast, I’ve never felt like this and it scares me,” Madi admitted with another quiet sigh. “My chest ached leaving him this morning.”

“Falling in love is scary,” Octavia smiled suddenly. “I remember when I first met your uncle, I had dated people before but I had never felt like this. My chest would ache whenever he’d leave, it was like a part of me was leaving me.”

“But Lincoln is your soul mate, that’s different,” Madi shook her head slowly.

“Is it though?” Octavia raised her eyebrow slowly.

“You’re saying that Cole is my soul mate?” Madi looked at Octavia with a confused look.

“Hear me out Madz, you’ve let your walls down for him, you’ve done that for a reason,” Octavia watched her niece. “You might not know that you’ve done it but you have.”

“How could you possibly know?” Madi frowned, a part of her, deep inside her knew what Octavia was saying was true.

“I’ve seen it, with Monty and Harper, Raven and Murphy. Your Mom and Dad were harder to see but once they started to realise we started to remember the signs,” Octavia smiled and took her niece’s hand. “It’s scary but take things slowly, at your own pace.”

“Cole said he loved me last night, he didn’t think I was awake,” Madi spoke quietly as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“How do you feel about that?” Octavia asked quietly.

“When I think about it, my chest feels like it’s going to explode. It’s like my heart is going to pound through my ribs,” Madi couldn’t help the smile that was forming on their lips. 

“Madi,” Octavia got up and hugged Madi tightly. “I’m so happy for you.”

“He wanted to go out for dinner tonight but I told him he needs to focus on the stuff that’s going on with him and that I’ll see him on Friday morning,” Madi spoke quietly when she pulled away from the hug. “He looked devastated when I told him that,” her voice was filled with guilt.

“I think Cole has known for a while now, having you around makes everything seem so calm for him and being away from you is like taking away that calm from him. Like taking away a piece of him,” Octavia spoke quietly. “I understand that you need time to process all of this.”

“It’s just happened so fast,” Madi frowned slightly. “It feels right but it’s just a lot.”

“I know,” Octavia reassured and Madi slowly felt herself relax.

“Thank you, O,” Madi gave her aunt a relaxed smile.

“I’m always here for you babe,” Octavia smiled as she watched Madi take a long sip of her coffee and relax more.

Slowly, in Madi’s mind, everything was coming together like a puzzle being completed. Madi had always believed in soul mates but she never had thought she would find hers. It was making sense to her now, the feelings that had scared her when she was younger that made her shut off her feelings and the warm feeling that used to creep through her defences when Cole was around since she was about 12 made sense. She still wasn’t ready to jump in headfirst into this but she was more open to how this was developing with Cole. She wasn’t so afraid of not understanding what was happening because she understood now. She was more prepared to move forward and understand why this felt so right.

“Have you guys done anything yet?” Octavia’s voice broke Madi out of her thoughts.

“No, I’m not ready to have sex yet,” Madi shook her head slowly.

“You don’t want to jump into just having sex, take your time and experiment with him, try different things, make yourself completely comfortable with it before you have sex,” Octavia explained quietly. “Get him to show you what he likes and show him what you like. It’ll make your first time a lot better because you guys will know each other’s bodies.”

Madi felt her cheeks burn red as she looked down.

“Try some stuff out while we’re at the lake house, just don’t let your dad catch you though,” Octavia chuckled quietly which made Madi laugh as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
I hope you liked it!  
Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
Here's chapter 5!  
Enjoy!

Having the few days break from Cole let Madi process everything. She missed him and his touch, her chest ached but she knew Cole also needed the time without distraction to deal with Sophie. Madi had finally gotten her car fixed. Her family had gone the day before to the lake, including Minerva, their parents thought it was better to have Minerva there so they could watch her. She was going to see Cole at their shift at the bar tonight. A band was playing tonight so the kitchen was closed but they were going to be selling water and clearing tables. 

Madi saw Cole leaning against his car as she pulled into the bar’s parking lot. Madi got out of the car and slowly walked over to him.

“Hey,” Madi smiled as she got closer to him.

“Hey,” Cole lit up and pulled her into a deep kiss.

“I think you missed me,” she smirked as she pulled back from the kiss.

“I did,” he whispered as he pulled her into a tight hug.

“I’ve got the house to myself tonight,” she pulled back with a small smile. “Come home with me tonight.”

“Sounds good,” He gave her another small kiss.

“Come on, we better get in,” She kissed him again before starting to walk into the bar, Cole’s hand sitting on her lower back. 

Madi could see Anya giving her a knowing smirk when they waked in, Cole’s hand still on her lower back. They went into the backroom to put their things in their lockers. They emerged out of the backroom to sit down for the staff meeting. Anya was started to delegate the staff to different stations.

“Madi, you’re going to be working the cocktails on the far end of the bar. You know the menu like the back of your hand and that’s what I need tonight.” Anya explained as she looked down at her clipboard. “Lucy, you’re just not confident enough on the cocktails, I can’t have that tonight. So you’re going to be serving the VIPs and clearing tables with Cole. Questions?” Anya looked around slowly. “Good, get the last of the prep work done.”

“But I did all of the prep for the cocktail station,” Lucy got up and made a beeline for Anya.

“Thanks for that but tonight Madi is working the station tonight,” Anya spoke firmly.

“I’m just as good as her,” Lucy argued as she followed Anya behind the bar.

“Madi!” Anya called Madi over.

Madi walked over to Anya slowly as Cole went to start getting the clearing trays as he was directed by one of the bartenders.

“What’s up?” Madi raised her eyebrow slowly.

“Lucy wants to prove that she’s just as good as you,” Anya crossed her arms as Madi walked behind the bar. “I want you two to each make an old fashion, a dropship and a Tybe special, go.”

Madi knew how to make these drinks like the back of her hand, she prepped the ingredients into two shakers knowing that the old fashioned didn’t need a shaker. She poured the liquor last into the shakers before capping them and started to shake both over her shoulders. She poured them into their respective cups and made the old fashioned quickly. Madi placed all three completed drinks on the bar while Lucy was still trying to make the drinks one at a time.

“That’s why Madi is on cocktails tonight,” Anya spoke sternly and Lucy just huffed, walking away to prep her new station. “I told you that you liked him,” Anya smirked as she watched Madi.

“He’s growing on me,” Madi spoke shyly.

“What did you say last week?” Anya smirked. “He’s a nuisance? A nuisance that you were making out within the parking lot.” 

“Stop,” Madi blushed slowly as she looked through the prepped station. “I’m missing half of my garnishes.”

“She’s an idiot, I swear,” Anya shook her head slowly as she looked over at Lucy. 

Lucy was flirting with Cole, who wasn’t paying attention to Lucy, instead, he was glancing at Madi.

“That boy has it for you bad,” Anya smirked looking back at Madi. 

“I need to finish prepping before people get here,” Madi sighed, more focused on her station.

“The band is playing Add it up tonight,” Anya smirked.

The bar had a rule since it was opened by Roan that when the song Add it up by Violent Femmes played, all of the staff would stop, sing and dance along. It didn’t happen too often but when it did it was fun.

“It hasn’t happened in ages,” Madi smiled slowly. 

“Should we warn Cole?” Anya smirked slowly.

“Warn me about what?” Cole appeared leaning against the side of the bar. 

“Lucy is flirting with you,” Madi leant against her side of the bar in front of him.

“Jealous?” He smirked as he watched Madi.

“Not at all,” She smirked, knowing Lucy was watching Cole and leant up kissing him slowly. “Go do some work,” she smirked pulling away.

“Okay, okay,” He smiled putting his hands up as he walked away.

Madi could hear Anya chuckling as she grabbed out the rest of the garnishes that she needed to prep.

“Lucy looks like she’s just been slapped in the face,” Anya laughed as she came behind the bar. “Nice one.”

  
\------------------------------ 

  
It was a busy night, to say the least, Madi was drowning in drink orders until the band started to play and the orders slowed down. Cole put his tray down on Madi’s end of the bar with a sigh.

“Have an order for me?” Madi raised her eyebrow slowly.

“Yeah, an old fashioned, a lemon drop martini and a long island iced tea,” Cole looked stressed out as he strummed his fingers on his tray.

“Are you okay?” Madi asked quietly as she started to get the cups to make the drinks.

“Yeah, just busy,” He gave her a reassuring smile.

“Day after day,” The lead singer of the band started to sing.

“I will walk and I will play,” Madi sang along with the other staff members as she grabbed Cole’s hand pulled him behind the bar. “But the day after today. I will stop and I will start.”

Cole looked confused as Madi started to dance along with the other staff members.

“Why can't I get just one kiss? Why can't I get just one kiss?” 

Madi watched Cole as she danced along, she licked her lips slowly which made him start to dance along with her. They kept dancing and singing until the song ended and they all went back to what they were doing.

“What was that?” Cole laughed as he watched Madi make the drinks for his order.

“Whenever that song plays, we stop what we’re doing to sing and dance to it. It’s been a bar rule since this place opened,” Madi smiled and finished up the drinks for his order.

“Why can’t I get just one kiss?” Cole smirked and quoted the song.

“You can kiss me all you want after our shift,” She smirked and put the drinks on his tray.

  
\------------------------ 

  
Madi finished cleaning her station after the show, it was almost 2 am and the customers had all cleared out. Cole had finished clearing the rubbish and taking it out to the dumpster. Madi was standing at her locker when Lucy and Cole came back into the back room.

“Hey Cole, a couple of us are going back to my place to have a couple of drinks, you should come,” Lucy smiled, attempting to flirt with Cole again.

“No, we need to be getting home, we’re leaving early tomorrow,” Cole ran his hand over Madi’s ass as she bent down to tie her shoe lace-up. “Isn’t that right babe?” Cole smiled as Madi straightened up.

“Yeah, we’re going on a trip for the week,” Madi smiled looking up at Cole. “We better go.” 

Madi grabbed her bag as Cole took her hand and started to walk out of the bar. Cole pulled Madi into a long kiss when they got to her car.

“I’ve wanted to do that all night,” Cole mumbled against her lips before kissing her again.

“We should get back to my place,” Madi whispered as she pulled away from the kiss. 

“I’ll follow you back,” Cole smiled slowly and gave her another kiss.

“Okay,” Madi turned and got into her car.

Madi led Cole into the house and up to her bedroom. Cole took his shoes off slowly as Madi stripped off her clothes. Cole looked up and Madi saw him swallow as took in her naked form. She smiled and took her hair out of its ponytail, shaking it free.

“Join me for a shower?” Madi spoke in a low voice as she was smirked slowly.

“Yeah,” He whispered and moved closer to her.

Madi pulled him by his shirt into a deep kiss. She felt him run his hand down her back and over her ass, squeezing it gently.

“Madi,” A low growl left Cole lips as Madi pulled away slowly.

“Come on,” Madi whispered as she walked into her bathroom.

Madi turned on the water and turned back to see him pulling off his shirt before undoing his pants. He dropped them along with his boxers before going into the bathroom. Cole kissed Madi’s neck, causing a moan to leave her lips before they got into the shower. 

Like they had done before they carefully washed each other’s bodies. Their touches were tender and intimate. When they got out of the shower, they just stood close to each other, making out. They pulled away from each other with smiles plastered on their faces.

Madi ran a hand down his chest as she looked up at him. Her fingertips drifted over his abs and then lower to hip. She bit her lip as her lip, still looking up at him as her hand drifted down further until she had her hand wrapped around his semi-hard member. She watched him close his eyes moaning quietly.

“Is this okay?” Madi asked quietly, the nerves clear in her voice.

“Yeah,” He opened his eyes to look down at her. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to do this,” She gave him a small smile as she felt him grow harder in her hand.

She didn’t know how to do it and was too embarrassed to ask him. She didn’t have to ask, he put her hand over hers and guided her to start stroking him.

“Like that,” he moaned and moved his hand away to let her do it by herself.

Madi kept going at a steady pace until Cole stopped her. Madi bit her lip, scared she had done something wrong. He took her hand and led her into the bedroom, he got onto the bed.

“Come here,” he beaconed her onto the bed.

Madi got onto the bed slowly and he guided her hand back to his shaft. Madi sat on her knees and started to stroke him at a slow pace. She watched his face as he closed his eyes, moaning quietly. 

“A little faster,” Cole instructed and Madi complied immediately. “Good babe,” He moaned louder.

Cole praising her made her fill with confidence. She gently tightened her grip slightly as she quickened her pace.

“Madi,” he moaned loudly. “Quicker baby,”

Madi complied and quickened the pace even more. She could feel him start to pulse in her hand. He moaned even louder as she kept going. 

“Fuck baby,” He moaned loudly.

Suddenly, Cole erupted, Madi watched the cum spill onto her hand and shoot onto his stomach. Madi stopped stroking him and removed her hand. Cole was panting as he leant up, grabbing her free arm to pull her into a kiss.

“So good baby,” he mumbled against her lips.

Madi smiled shyly as she grabbed tissues from the bedside table and cleared the cum off of his stomach before cleaning her hand. 

“Let me,” He kissed her slowly. “Make you feel good.”

He guided her to lay down and she felt her nerves building up as she laid down. She laid on her back and felt him run his fingertips down her stomach, stopping in between her hips.

“Can I?” He asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she whispered nervously.

“If you want me to stop, just tell me okay?” He brushed the hair out of her face with his free hand.

“Okay,” she nodded slowly and kissed him.

He pulled away from the kiss and smiled slowly. His hand drifted between her legs. Madi moaned quietly as he started to rub gently.

“How’s that?” He whispered quietly.

“A little to the left,” she whispered and he complied making her moan as he rubbed small circles in the right spot.

“Tell me what you like baby,” he whispered as he kissed her neck.

“Faster,” she moaned quietly. 

Madi felt herself build up as he picked up the pace. She arched her back as she moaned louder. She felt herself reach her release point and she moaned loudly. Cole stopped rubbing and just gave her a slow gentle kiss.

Cole laid next to her and pulled her into his arms. Madi cuddled into him slowly with a happy smile. She yawned loudly and felt him kiss the top of her head.

“Goodnight babe,” Cole got under the covers with her and spooned her with his arms wrapped around her.

“Goodnight,” Madi yawned loudly and reached to turn off the lights at the switch by her bed.

Madi felt herself start to drift off as Cole tightened his arms around her.

“I love you,” Cole whispered quietly pressing a kiss to the back of her head. 

Madi knew Cole thought she was asleep again but it didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach and the smile from forming on her lips.

  
\------------------------ 

  
Madi strummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited for Cole to come out. She had driven to get them coffee and bagels on the way over to his place. She was just waiting for him to finish packing his bag before they left for the lake house. Madi looked at the time on the phone and realised she had been waiting for half an hour. Madi sighed getting out of the car to check on what was taking so long. She walked into the house and heard yelling.

“You’re embarrassing me and making a fool of yourself!” Sophie’s voice echoed through the house. “What are you going to do when our baby is born?!”

“Look after it! Right now, I don’t even know that you’re actually pregnant!” Cole shouted back.

“Our baby deserves to have it’s parents together!” Sophie snapped louder.

“It deserves to have happy parents, not one who can’t stand its mother,” He sneered and Madi could hear the hatred in his voice. “I’m not even talking about this until after we get the results from the blood test. You need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving,” Sophie snapped loudly.

Madi turned on her heels and walked out, she got back into her car. She sank down into her seat as she grabbed her coffee. Madi wondered if this was what it was going to be life if Sophie was having his baby. It crossed her mind whether all of this drama was worth it. Her chest ached painfully at the thought of walking away from Cole. She was in this deep and she knew it.

Another fifteen minutes passed and Sophie stormed out of the house followed by Cole who stormed to Madi’s car. Cole opened the back door and threw his bag into the back seat before slamming the door.

“Have fun embarrassing yourself with your little fucking freak!” Sophie snapped loudly as she stormed down the driveway.

“Don’t you fucking dare say anything about Madi!” Cole shouted before opening the front passenger door, getting in and slamming the door. 

“Your coffee is cold,” Madi spoke quietly as she turned the car on.

“I’m sorry,” Cole sighed and running his hand through his hair. 

“It’s fine,” she spoke quietly as she started to drive.

“No, it’s not,” he ran his hand down his face. “Stop and I’ll buy us some more.”

“Cole, it’s okay,” She rubbed her forehead as she leant her elbow on the car door.

“Pull over, I’m getting us fresh coffee,” He ordered and she parked in front of a coffee shop.

Cole grabbed the cold coffee before getting out of the car. He threw the cups in the bin and disappeared into the coffee shop. Madi sighed quietly as she took her hair out of its messy bun. After ten minutes, Cole came out of the coffee shop with two coffees. He balanced one on the top of the car as he opened the car door. He grabbed the second cup and got in. 

“Here babe,” Cole handed Madi one of the cups.

“Thank you,” Madi looked down at the coffee cup and smiled when she found a heart-shaped cookie on it.

“I’m sorry Ma-.” Cole started but was cut off by Madi kissing him slowly.

“Stop apologising for your crazy ex,” she whispered when she pulled away from the kiss.

“God, you’re beautiful,” He smiled as he brushed the loose strands of hair out of her face.

“Can I tell you something?” she smiled as she brushed his hair behind his ear.

“Yeah,” he smiled and kissed the palm of her hand.

“I think you like me,” her smile turned into a small smirk.

“You know I do, a lot,” he chuckled quietly and gave her a gentle kiss.

“Good because I like you a lot,” She smirked before turning the car on. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

“Let’s do this,” He smiled slowly.

  
\---------------------- 

  
As soon as the car pulled into the driveway, the twins ran outside followed by Raven and Murphy’s son James. Walking slower behind them was Octavia and Lincoln’s daughter Freya. Madi got out of the car and was tackled into a hug by the twins with James joining in almost knocking Madi off her feet. 

“Hey guys,” Madi laughed and waited until they pulled away from her to sign at Julian. “I think you guys missed me,” she signed and spoke as she laughed quietly.

‘What took you so long?’ Julian frowned deeply.

Cole got out of the car and the twins’ faces lit up.

“Is he your boyfriend?” James signed and spoke as he pointed at Cole.

“Yeah,” Madi smiled and nodded as her cheeks started to burn red.

“Madi and her boyfriend are here!” Augustus shouted as he ran inside with James and Julian following him.

“Hey Freya,” Madi smiled walking over to the little girl.

“Hi Madi,” Frey mumbled quietly and hugged Madi.

“Cole, this is my cousin, Freya,” Madi spoke quietly, knowing Freya was shy around new people.

“Hi Freya,” Cole smiled as he spoke in a quiet voice. 

Freya gave a shy wave before running inside. Madi turned to see Cole smirking at her as he carried both of their bags.

“Boyfriend huh?” He smirked as he watched her.

“I don’t want to share you either so I guess you do get what you want,” She smirked and gave him a small peck. “Come on.”

Madi led Cole inside, they found everyone hanging out in the living area. Everyone was there including her grandparents and younger uncles. Cole had dropped their bags in the hallway and shoved his hands into his pockets nervously. Alex and Ellie walked over to hug Madi immediately.

“Hey Pop, GG, this is Cole,” Madi smiled slowly.

“It’s good to see you again, Mr Hunt,” Cole smiled and shook Alex’s hand.

“Call me Alex,” Alex smiled slowly. “Good to see you too, this is my wife Ellie.”

“Nice to meet you, Cole,” Ellie smiled shaking his hand slowly.

“You too,” Cole smiled nervously. 

Aurora and Tybe walked up next, Aurora immediately pulled Cole into a hug.

“Cole, how’s your mother?” Aurora smiled pulling away.

“She’s good, my parents are away for a wedding this weekend,” Cole spoke awkwardly before shaking Tybe’s hand slowly.

‘I thought he wasn’t your boyfriend?’ Theo signed to Madi with a deep frown.

‘He wasn’t then, he is now,’ Madi signed back.

‘I’ll beat the crap out of him if he hurts you,’ Theo signed making Madi smile.

‘I know,’ Madi walked over and hugged Theo.

“Madz, you and Cole are in the study, there’s a fold-out in there,” Octavia smiled slowly, giving Madi a knowing look.

“How come they get to share a room?” Minerva frowned crossing her arms.

“They’re old enough to, there’s no way in hell you and Jordan are sharing a room,” Bellamy grumbled as he crossed his arms.

“Why not? That’s so unfair,” Minerva grumbled louder.

“Here we go,” Madi sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“You’re fifteen years old, I can’t trust you two,” Bellamy narrowed his eyes at his youngest daughter.

“But you can trust Madi and Cole?” Minerva raised her eyebrow slowly. “Cole got his ex-girlfriend pregnant.”

“What?” Bellamy snapped his head to glare at Cole.

“His ex-girlfriend, Sophie is at home pregnant with his baby,” Minerva got an evil grin on her face as she looked at her sister.

“And who are you to announce Cole’s private business to everyone here?” Harper spoke up and frowned at Minerva. “You don’t know the full situation,”

“Excuse me,” Cole walked out of the house slowly.

“What have I done to make you hate me so much?” Madi crossed her arms as she glared at Minerva. “Maybe it’s a good thing I’m leaving at the end of summer.” 

Madi frowned before following Cole outside. Cole was leaning against the wall of the house as he rubbed his forehead.

“Well that just fucked everything up,” Cole groaned as he threw his hands up in the air. “Your family probably think I’m some kind of dropkick.”

“No, they don’t,” Madi shook her head slowly as she walked closer to him.

“Madi, your father literally shot daggers at me with his eyes,” He stressed as he raked his hand down his face. “Your whole family knows about Sophie being pregnant before I even have confirmation that she is even pregnant.”

“Cole,” she reached out and put her hand on his cheek.

Cole put his hand on top of hers on her cheek before turning his head to kiss the palm of her head.

“I need to go for a walk,” He mumbled and walked down the driveway, leaving Madi standing there just watching him.

Madi walked into the house slowly and rubbing the back of her neck. Clarke walked up to Madi with a frown.

“Where’s Cole?” Clarke looked worried.

“He’s gone for a walk. Mini just embarrassed him in front of everyone,” Madi grabbed their bags and walked into the study and Clarke followed her. “You know they haven’t even gotten confirmation that Sophie is even pregnant. Cole’s Mom took Sophie to get the blood test because Sophie is a lying, manipulator,” She threw the bags onto the fold-out bed. “What have I done that’s so horrible to Mini to make her hate me so much? I have picked her up from parties, I have saved her from getting grounded more times than I can count. Anytime she wanted to go visit Jordan or go out with her friends or go shopping, I took her. What has made such a horrible sister?”

Madi walked out of the room before her mother could reply. Madi just walked out of the back door of the house, walking down to the dock. 

“Madi!” Clarke called out to her but Madi just sat down, pulling her shoes off and put her feet in the water.

After a few minutes, Murphy came and sat next to Madi on the dock. He offered her a cigarette but Madi shook her head.

“I know you smoke when you’re stressed Hobbit,” Murphy raised an eyebrow at her slowly. “I saw you out the back of school almost every day before your exams.”

Madi took one and lit it as he did the same. There were a few moments of silence between the two.

“Your dad smoked like a chimney when the incident happened with your Mom at the bar,” Murphy spoke quietly and took a long draw of his cigarette. “I doubt the kid is his, I caught Sophie sleeping with so many guys in the bathrooms at school.”

“We’re not even certain she’s pregnant, he’s waiting for the blood tests, his mom took her to the doctors,” she took a long draw of her cigarette before putting it out not wanting anymore. “Mini just embarrassed Cole in front of everyone.”

“That one was out of line, Mini shouldn’t have done that,” Murphy sighed as he continued to smoke. “You love him?”

The words came out of her mouth before she could even think about it.

“Yeah I do,” She spoke quietly. 

“I knew it,” He smiled slowly. “I’m happy for you Hobbit,” He pulled her into a side hug with a quiet chuckle.

“Thanks, Doodoo,” She whispered quietly.

“I’m going to miss you when you leave for college,” He admitted quietly. 

“I’m going to miss you too,” she smiled slowly and hugged Murphy. 

“Go find Cole, tell him to come back, have a beer and relax,” He pulled away from the hug slowly. “Tell him that we don’t care and we’re not ones to judge. As long as he does right by you we’re happy.”

  
\------------------------------ 

  
After dinner, Madi found Cole as he walked back to the house, his head was hung low and he looked defeated. Madi didn’t say anything, she just wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. Cole kissed the top of her head and her head fitted perfectly under his chin as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Cole whispered quietly.

“I’m sorry my sister is such a bitch,” Madi mumbled quietly.

Cole pulled back slightly and lifted her chin to look at him.

“I shouldn’t have walked away,” He sighed quietly.

“Don’t apologise, you needed to go for a walk,” She got up on to her toes to kiss him. “I saved you some dinner.”

“Thank you,” He gave her another kiss. “I think it’s about time I show my face to your family again.”

“My uncle Murphy wanted me to make sure that you know that they don’t care. Just don’t break my heart or they’ll all take turns breaking your face.” She smirked slowly.

“I will never do that,” He whispered and kissed her gently.

“Promise?” She raised her eyebrow at him slowly.

“I promise, otherwise you can break my face,” He smiled and put his hand on her cheek. “I don’t think you understand how much I care about you Madi,” his thumb stroked her cheek gently.

“I think I do,” she kissed him slowly. “Come on, you must be starving.”

Madi smiled widely and led him inside, she walked into the kitchen and put his food in the microwave. She got him out cutlery and grabbed him a beer from the fridge in the time it took for the food to finish heating up. She put the plate in front of him with a smile.

“Madi Blake domesticated, I never thought I’d see it,” Cole smirked as he watched her get a beer for herself. “And to think a week ago I needed to plead with you to hang out with me. All your walls were up.”

“I know,” Madi leant against the bench and smiled slowly. “You didn’t break through my walls Cole, you absolutely destroyed them.”

“I’m happy you let me,” he smiled and watched her. 

“Me too,” she smiled and she couldn’t stop the bright smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I know I'm late again I'm sorry!  
Forgive me!

Madi woke up early, the sudden feeling of something missing hit her like a ton of bricks. She sat up and realised the bed was empty. A frown formed on her face and for a second, thinking that it had all been a dream. The thought left her mind when Cole coming into the room with two mugs.

“Good morning beautiful,” Cole smiled and passed her one of the mugs.

“Morning,” Madi smiled and took a long sip of the coffee. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” He gave her a gentle kiss. “No one is up yet.”

“We’re usually late risers when we’re here,” she spoke quietly and took another long sip of her coffee.

There was a comfortable silence as they finished their coffee. Madi put their mugs on the end table and turned back to Cole. 

“We could get up and go for walk,” Cole suggested quietly.

“Or we could stay in bed and have a little fun,” She suggested timidly with a smirk.

“And what type of fun are you suggesting?” He smirked slowly as brushed the hair out of her face.

“I want to try something,” she spoke quietly. 

“You don’t have to babe,” He reassured her. 

Madi kissed Cole slowly and let him lay down on the bed. Her hand slipped into his boxers and wrapped her fingers around him. She gently started to stroke him as he became hard in her hand, causing him to moan against her lips. He slipped his boxers down to give her more access. She pulled away from their kiss and moved down on the bed. The nerves were building up in her as she leant down and ran her tongue from the base to tip while watching him.

“Fuck baby,” Cole moaned, lacing his fingers into her hair.

Slowly, Madi took him into her mouth and gently squeezed the base, causing him to moan louder. She started to bob her head slowly. Cole hissed suddenly and Madi took him out of her mouth immediately.

“I’m sorry,” Madi spoke worriedly. 

“No Baby, you’re doing fine,” he reassured quietly. “Just be careful with your teeth, keep going baby.”

Madi nodded slowly and took him back into her mouth. She was really careful with her teeth as she started bobbing her head at a steady pace.

“So good baby,” Cole moaned and laced his fingers into her hair. 

Madi filled with confidence and she quickened her pace. Cole’s moans became louder the faster Madi’s pace became. Madi felt him start to pulse in her mouth. 

“Babe, I’m gonna cum,” Cole moaned and Madi just quickened the pace.

Madi kept going until she felt him erupt in her mouth with a loud moan. She tasted the saltiness of his cum before she swallowing. She slowly took him out of her mouth and sat back, her heavy breathing matching his.

“You’re amazing,” Cole breathed out and sat up pulling her into a deep kiss.

Madi smiled against his lips, proud of herself. Cole pulled her closer and pulled away with a happy smile on his face. 

“My turn to make you feel good,” Cole kissed her again.

Cole pulled up his shorts up and moved on top of her as he deepened the kiss. He moved his hand up her inner thigh.

“Madi, breakfast is ready,” Bellamy’s voice echoed as the door to the study opened.

Cole jumped off Madi, freaked out and Bellamy’s face flushes the same bright red.

“Dad!” Madi freaked out as her face flushed bright red.

“Bellamy Blake you did not just open that door without knocking,” Clarke’s voice echoed from down the hall. “Bellamy, snap out of it and walk out of the damn room.”

“What do you two think you’re doing?” Bellamy snapped loudly.

“We were just kissing,” Madi spoke quietly compared to her father’s voice.

“He was on top of you!” Bellamy snapped louder.

Madi covered her face embarrassed and she was sure as hell Cole was mortified. 

“Get out of the damn room,” Clarke seethed through her teeth as she grabbed Bellamy’s arm.

“He was on top of her, they were having sex,” Bellamy glared at Cole.

“Dad! I’m a virgin!” Madi snapped, uncovering her face and glared at her father.

“Bellamy Blake, I swear to god,” Clarke’s voice showed that she meant business, she gave her husband one more yank on his arm and he walked out of the room.

Clarke closed the door on her way out and Madi groaned hiding her face in her hands. The sound of a chuckle made her lookup. Cole was chuckling amused before kissing Madi.

“Remind me to lock the door next time,” Cole chuckled again before getting up and started to get dressed. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

“How are you not mortified by that?” Madi looked at him confused.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that your dad is always going to stare daggers at me,” Cole shrugged pulling his shirt on. “I’m dating his daughter and he just saw me on top of his little girl.”

“Locking the door from now on,” she got up slowly, changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top.

Cole took Madi’s hand and led her into the kitchen. Madi made a beeline for the iced coffee and poured herself a glass.

“I mean, I get where he’s coming from, if I found a boy on top of our daughter, I’d probably flip out worse than he did,” Cole spoke simply and Madi choked on the iced coffee she was drinking.

“Our daughter?” Madi coughed, still in shock.

“Hopeful thinking?” Cole spoke quietly, realising what he had said.

Madi was still kind of shocked over the words that came out of Cole’s mouth. She saw her future with him and this was just confirmation that they were on the same page. It just shocked her. She wasn’t expecting it.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out,” Cole whispered as he wrapped his arms around Madi’s waist.

“It’s okay,” Madi whispered looking up at him. “But there’s no way in hell you’re getting me pregnant any time soon.”

“I don’t plan on it,” he leant down and kissed her slowly. 

“Morning Lovebirds,” Octavia’s cheery voice made Cole and Madi break apart from their kiss.

“Morning O,” Madi spoke quietly as her cheeks burned red.

“Morning Octavia,” Cole smiled slowly.

“Call me O, Cole, it’s weird when people call me Octavia,” Octavia smiled as she walked out on to the back deck with the young couple following close behind her.

Madi and Cole sat beside Raven and Murphy.

“Morning Hobbit and Cole,” Murphy grinned and bumped Madi’s shoulder.

“Morning Doodoo,” Madi smirked and grabbed waffles for both her plate and Cole’s.

“Want some berries babe?” Cole asked quietly as he finished spooning them on his plate.

“Thanks,” Madi smiled and watched him spooning them onto her plate.

“You two are sickeningly cute,” Octavia grimaced as she sat across from them.

“You and Lincoln used to be like that,” Clarke spoke up with a smirk. “It used to drive Bellamy nuts.”

“Now these two can drive him nuts,” Monty laughed loudly.

“Don’t even get him started on that,” Clarke groaned loudly and rubbed her forehead.

Bellamy was staring daggers at Cole as he ate his breakfast. Madi felt Cole shift uncomfortably next to her.

“Bell, staring at him won’t make Cole fall in love with you,” Murphy deadpanned causing everyone to laugh and Bellamy started to grumble.

“Bell, think on the bright side, at least Madi waited until she was out of high school to date,” Raven spoke up.

“I didn’t realise that your family was going to roast your dad,” Cole whispered in Madi’s ear with a smirk.

“Yeah, we gently bully each other, it’s a sign of love,” Madi giggled as she looked at him.

“Madi, did your dad walk into the room without knocking?” Aurora asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Madi answered quietly as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“You got to knock Bellamy,” Alex spoke up shaking his head. “Give them some privacy.”

“So you’d trust Taylor alone in his room with his girlfriend?” Bellamy countered.

“No, because he’s 15,” Alex shook his head slowly. “Madi’s 19 next month.”

Bellamy groaned and threw his head back.

“Stop being dramatic,” Clarke rolled her eyes and kissed Bellamy.

“We know Madi could easily beat him up if he ever hurt her,” Ellie smirked taking a sip from her coffee.

“What’s everyone talking about?” Minerva asked as she walked out of the house onto the deck. “You’re still here,” Minerva narrowed her eyes at Cole.

“Shut up Mini,” Jordan hissed.

“Yeah I’m still here,” Cole looked up at Minerva. “Here, you can take our seats.”

Cole stood up slowly and Madi followed, he picked up both of their plates, which were now empty. Cole and Madi walked inside, Cole washed up their plates. Augustus and Julian ran into the kitchen laughing.

“Can you take us swimming?” Augustus asked with a huge grin.

“What do you think Cole? Should we take them swimming?” Madi looked at Cole with a smirk as he wiped his hands on the tea towel.

“I think we can,” Cole smirked and watched the boys run upstairs excitedly.

___________________________ 

  
Madi laid on the dock, letting the sun warm her skin. The twins had gone inside with Cole to get something to drink after they had been swimming for a couple of hours. Madi just wanted to relax in the sun for a bit and the twins wanted Cole to go with them.

“Madi?” Minerva’s voice broke Madi out of her calm.

“What Mini?” Madi half snapped as she sat up and turned to see Minerva with tear-stained cheeks. “What’s wrong?” Madi got up and walked over to Minerva.

“I’m late,” Minerva choked out in a sob.

“How late are you?” Madi frowned as she walked closer to her sister.

“A week,” Minerva sobbed loudly and Madi immediately pulled her little sister into a tight hug.

“Have you guys been using condoms?” Madi asked quietly. 

“Not always,” Minerva answered quietly causing Madi to sigh quietly.

“Have you been taking the pill properly?” Madi pulled away from the hug and watched her sister.

“I’ve missed it a few times,” Minerva started to sob loudly.

“Alright calm down,” Madi sighed rubbing her forehead. “We’ll go get you a test. Go get dressed.”

Madi walked up to the house just after Minerva, she stopped on the deck where her mother was sitting with her aunts.

“Mom, I’ve got to take Mini to the store to get tampons before they close,” Madi spoke quietly.

“Okay, thanks baby girl,” Clarke smiled slowly. “You’re a good big sister.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Madi spoke quietly.

“Lunch will be ready when you get back,” Clarke smiled and watched Madi go inside.

Madi found Cole in the kitchen making smoothies with the twins, Roman, James and Freya.

“Hey babe, want a smoothie?” Cole smiled brightly at her.

“Actually, I’ve got to take Mini to the store before they close,” Madi watched Cole frown deeply. “I’ll explain later.”

Madi gave him a small kiss before heading to their room to get changed. She put a pair of shorts and a tank over her bikini.

“Alright, Mini let’s go,” Madi called out and grabbed her car keys.

  
Madi pulled into the parking lot of the grocery with a sigh, the car ride to the store was awkward. Madi was still mad at Minerva for all of the horrid things she had said to her but right now she needed to be there for her sister. 

“I can’t go in,” Minerva sighed as she looked at the store.

“Stay in the car,” Madi mumbled and got out of the car.

Madi walked into the store and made a beeline for the pregnancy tests. She didn’t realise there were so many different types. She picked up the one that said it answered in words. She grabbed two of the biggest boxes of condoms she could find. She made her way to the cash register.

“You know the condoms don’t help when you’re already pregnant,” the middle-aged cashier sneered.

“Well no shit Sherlock,” Madi rolled her eyes slowly and handed the cash over.

“Well I’m just saying that girls like you should learn to be more careful,” The cashier frowned as she got Madi’s change.

“Well, I’m just saying that you should keep your opinions to yourself,” Madi took her change and the bag before walking out of the store.

Madi got into the car with a sigh, she handed Minerva the bag. 

“Take it when we get back to the house,” Madi spoke quietly and started to drive.

When they got back to the house, Madi followed Minerva to the bathroom and waited for the results. 

“We’ve got to wait three minutes,” Madi sighed sitting on the edge of the bathtub. 

The three minutes passed in awkward silence, Minerva started to cry when the timer went off. Madi grabbed the test and looked at it.

“You’re not pregnant,” Madi spoke quietly relieved. “Make sure you take your pill properly and use god damn condoms.”

“Whatever,” Minerva pushed passed Madi out of the bathroom. 

Madi just sighed and shoved the test into a rubbish bag and then into the trash can. Madi sighed walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen. Cole frowned when he saw her face and made a beeline to her.

“You okay babe?” Cole whispered brushing the hair out of her face.

“Yeah, just Mini being a bitch,” Madi sighed quietly. “Let’s just get some food.”

“How about you go sit down and I’ll get us lunch?” Cole gave her a gentle kiss. “Go sit.”

“Okay, thank you,” she smiled and gave him another kiss.

Minerva walked passed and knocked Madi, making them break apart from their kiss.

“Slut,” Minerva muttered under her breath.

“Really Mini?” Madi whipped her head around to glare at Minerva. “After what I just did for you?”

“Sophie told me tha-,” Minerva started but was cut off by Madi.

“So you believe her over your own sister?” Madi frowned and crossed her arms. 

“Yeah I do,” Minerva crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Madi.

“So I didn’t just go and buy you a pregnancy test?” Madi raised her eyebrow slowly. “You know what, you and Sophie are cut from the same cloth. You both manipulate and use people.”

Madi just turned on her heels and walked out to the back patio needing air.

After a few minutes, Cole came out with two plates full of food. He found Madi sitting on one of the outdoor couches.

“Thank you, honey,” Madi gave him a small smile and took the plate off him.

“Honey? I like that,” Cole smirked and kissed her gently. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” She nodded, her voice unconvincing.

“Madi?” He watched her carefully and she was trying her best not to break. “Come here,” He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry,” he kissed the top of her head gently.

“I just don’t get it,” Madi mumbled quietly, still refusing to let her tears spill.

“Don’t listen to Mini,” Theo’s voice made Madi look up at him. “She’s been trying to get close to Sophie for months, she thinks it’ll give her the top spot when school starts back again.”

“Mini’s fucking stupid, Sophie is just using her as her lap dog,” Madi pulled back from Cole’s embrace but Cole kept his arm around her shoulders. 

“Madi?” Jordan’s voice drew Madi’s attention, she looked at him with a frown.

“Yeah, Jordan?” Madi looked at him.

“Thank you for taking Mini to the store,” Jordan looked down slowly.

“That’s what sister’s do,” she sighed quietly. “Just be more careful next time okay?” 

“We will be, I promise,” Jordan nodded slowly before walking away.

Madi sighed and ran a hand down her face slowly. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw Taylor walking over to them with a smirk. 

“Taylor, where have you been hiding?” Madi smiled as Taylor sat next Theo.

“I’ve been here and there,” Taylor smirked slowly.

“Cole, this is Taylor, my uncle,” Madi spoke quietly.

“Don’t call me your uncle, that’s just weird,” Taylor shook his head slowly. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Cole smiled and shook Taylor’s hand.

“I’ve seen you around school,” Taylor smirked. “You seem pretty cool.”

“Thanks,” Cole laughed quietly. 

“Let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Taylor smiled slowly and started to eat.

“Taylor and Theo both have been given front line spots on the football team, they leave for football camp at the end of next week,” Madi explained quietly as they ate.

“That’s impressive for sophomores,” Cole smiled widely as he looked at the younger boys in front of him.

“Yeah Ethan’s invited us to a party the night before we leave for camp,” Taylor smiled slowly.

“I’ll be there, it should be a good night,” Cole smiled slowly. “Have you got a shift on Thursday?” Cole looked at Madi slowly.

“Yeah but I finish at 9,” Madi nodded slowly.

“Want to swing by afterwards?” Cole asked quietly with a small smile.

“Yeah, I’ll drop the car at home and get an Uber there,” Madi smiled and kissed Cole’s cheek.

“Madi going to a party? I like the influence you have on her,” Taylor smiled slowly.

“She has a really good influence on me too,” Cole smiled proudly and looked at Madi.

“Well isn’t that cute,” Taylor stuck his tongue out at Madi. 

“Jealous?” Madi smirked as she watched him.

“Nope, I’m happy to float around and spread a little love everywhere,” Taylor smirked as he sat back.

“Don’t spread it too much,” Cole laughed and shaking his head.

“Theo spreads the most love,” Taylor laughed and lightly punched Theo. “A cheerleader here, a footballer there.”

“It’s not my fault that I don’t want to deprive half of the population of all of me,” Theo deadpanned as he took a sip of his soda.

“How would that side of the population every survive?” Madi rolled her eyes slowly and laughed quietly.

“They wouldn’t that’s exactly why I don’t deprive them,” Theo smirked slowly.

_________________________ _____

  
Madi stared up at the sky as the fireworks exploded, lighting up the sky in bright blues and reds. She always loved watching fireworks, she found them memorizing and beautiful. Honestly, watching fireworks was one of her favourite things in the world. They always inspired her to paint and sketch. 

“It’s beautiful,” Madi breathed out with stared up at the sky.

“You’re beautiful,” Cole breathed out and wrapped his arms around Madi’s waist.

“I love you,” she whispered before her brain could catch up.

Madi could feel her body start to tense up, it was too early to say it. She didn’t mean to say it yet but her stupid brain was too slow to catch up with her mouth. She relaxed when she felt him turn her around, his hand cupped her cheek with a huge grin.

“I love you too,” He gave her a slow, loving kiss and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I love you,” he mumbled against her lips as one of his hands moved up her back.

“I love you too,” she whispered with a quiet giggle.

It felt like a relief to admit it out loud now. It felt so natural to say it to him. Madi’s heart felt so full as she whispered the words to him. This was so insane, she had known him most of her life and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She didn’t want to be away from him, she belonged by his side, her heart and soul told her that she did.

Madi pulled away from the kiss slowly with a shy smile. The fireworks had finished and everyone else was distracted dissing Jasper for not getting enough fireworks. Jasper was blaming Bellamy for saying they had enough at the store. Madi gave Cole another small kiss.

“Let me finish what I started this morning?” Cole whispered into her ear, sending an excited shiver through her body.

Madi nodded and bit her lip, he laced his fingers through hers. Madi couldn’t stop the quiet giggle leaving her lips as he led her up the stairs of the deck into the house. When they got into the hallway that led to their room, Cole stopped to give her a hungry kiss. His hands came under her ass and picked her up and then guided her legs to hook around his waist. They didn’t break the kiss as he carried her to the room, he kicked the door shut and pressed her against the door. Cole deepened the kissed as he locked the door.

Madi yearned for Cole’s touch, she could feel him become hard, pressing against her. She moaned quietly against his lips as he walked over to the bed and laid her down on the bed. Cole slowly kissed along her jawline slowly, sending shivers down her spine. He kissed down to her neck and sucked gently causing her to whimper quietly. His hand unbuttoned her shorts and undid the zipper before pulling his lips away from her neck.

Cole started to pull Madi’s top up, she sat up slightly and pulled it over her head. Cole smirked and pulled at the strings of her bikini. 

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Cole whispered and Madi nodded slowly, her breathing laboured. 

Cole kissed from her lips, down her neck and along her chest. He kissed down her breast and took her nipple into his mouth. Madi moaned loudly when he sucked on her nipple gently. He flicked his tongue over her nipple and she bit her lip to muffle her loud moan. She felt her breathing quicken and her whole body heighten under his touch. He flicked his tongue over her nipple before continuing to kiss down her stomach. He paused at the edge of her shorts.

“Are you okay baby?” Cole looked up at Madi slowly.

“Yeah, don’t stop,” Madi moaned quietly.

Cole smirked and pulled her shorts off with her bikini bottoms. Cole gently kissed up her thigh slowly, making Madi shiver under his kiss. Cole ran his tongue along her slit making her cry out. 

“Keep quiet baby,” Cole whispered with a quiet chuckle.

Cole pressed a kiss to Madi’s clit and it sent a wave of pleasure through Madi’s whole body, making her shake. He started to slowly run his tongue along her slit, she had to bite her lip to muffle her moans. 

Cole hummed against Madi’s clit and Madi threw her head back moaning loudly. The waves of pleasure were overwhelming her, she had never felt anything this intense before, she never wanted it to end. He picked up the pace and her whole body was shaking. He took her clit into her mouth and sucked gently. 

“Cole…” Her voice came out in a low moan.

Madi felt the world stop, her it felt like an explosion of pleasure rush through her body. It was like a wave crashing over her. She could feel every inch of her body as if her body was on fire. She couldn’t stop the cry from leaving her lips, she threw her head back, her back arched and her fingers tangled into his hair, pulling it slightly. The waves over her started to calm but her world was still spinning. She relaxed, melting into the bed, panting loudly.

Madi barely even noticed Cole had moved from between her legs to her side. She only noticed he had moved when he wrapped his arms around her.

“Did you like that?” Cole chuckled and kissed her cheek after a few minutes.

“Holy shit,” Madi breathed out between laboured breaths. 

“I fucking love you,” Cole pulled her into a deep kiss.

“I love you too,” She mumbled against his lips as she turned his arms. “Let me take care of you.” 

“No baby,” He brushed the hair out. “Giving you an orgasm was enough to push me over the edge,” He whispered in her ear with a husky satisfied voice. “It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Madi couldn’t believe how amazing she felt, she had never felt like this before. She was still trying to control her breathing and she could feel herself pulsing between her legs.

“Are you okay?” He whispered, cupping her cheek gently.

“Yeah,” she smiled satisfied and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Still coming down?” he asked quietly with a small smirk.

“That’s never happened before,” she admitted quietly, her cheeks burning red.

“Never?” He raised his eyebrow shocked. “Not even by yourself?”

Madi turned on her stomach and hid her face in the pillow.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed,” he chuckled quietly and kissed the bare skin on her shoulder, making her turn her head slightly.

“Cole, when I told you I was a virgin, it wasn’t just about sex,” She whispered. “I haven’t done anything with anyone.” 

“Anything?” His voice gave away that he was shocked.

“You’re my first proper kiss, the first person I’ve been naked in front of, the first person I’ve done anything sexual with,” her cheeks burned even more. “the first person I’ve ever done anything to.”

There was a long moment of silence and Madi buried her face in the pillow again.

“I was your first kiss?” Cole broke the silence and his voice perked up happily.

Madi nodded not lifting her head from the pillow.

“Didn’t I kiss you when we were like nine?” He spoke in an amused tone and she turned her head to look at him.

“Yeah,” she whispered quietly. 

“And your first proper kiss, not just a peck?” He raised his eyebrow at her.

Madi nodded slowly and hid her face again. Cole chuckled quietly and nestled his head next to hers so he could kiss her cheek.

“I love you,” he whispered, wrapping arms around her pulling her up and turning her around with a loud laugh. 

“I love you too,” she covered her face with her hands, still embarrassed.

“Why are you so embarrassed?” he moved her hands away from her face.

“You’re experienced in everything,” she whispered. “You’ve had your firsts and I’m just starting.”

Cole sighed quietly and sat up slowly, he pulled his knees up and rested his arms on his knees.

“I wish I had manned up earlier,” He sighed quietly.

“I wouldn’t have let you through break through my walls, I wasn’t ready,” she sat up slowly and hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Besides, I think your experience benefits us.”

Madi moved her hands up his chest and kissed his cheek gently. Confidence filled her and the urge to make him feel drove her to let her voice drop to a seductive whisper.

“You knew exactly what to do to make cum like you just did,” she whispered and pressed a kiss just below his ear.

Cole turned his head to look at her and gave a tender kiss. When he pulled away from the kiss and turned to face her. 

“One first that you are for me,” he cupped her cheek gently. “You’re the first girl I have ever loved.” 

The words made her heart swell and a smile curl at the corner of her lips. She leant in and gave him a gentle kiss.

A loud knock at the door made Madi jump back before laughing quietly.

“Guys, come on!” Raven’s voice echoed through the door. “Ellie made dessert.” 

“We’re coming, Raven!” Madi called out and got off the bed slowly.

“Hurry up before your dad notices and has a heart attack,” Raven’s voice was clear but it was more of hushed tone.

“Come on,” Madi smirked and started to pull her shorts on.

“Your dad would kill me if he knew what I just did to you,” Cole smirked and kissed her gently.

“He definitely would,” she smirked and put her tank top on without a bra on.

Cole changed his shorts and walked to the door. They walked out to the kitchen slowly where most of her aunts and uncles were getting drinks. Octavia was mixing some concoction in the blender. Madi walked towards Octavia sceptically to investigate what she was making. 

“Nice hickey,” Murphy laughed and took a long sip of his beer.

Madi shot a glare at Cole who just shrugged with a smirk.

“Take your hair down to cover it,” Raven pulled the hair tie out of Madi’s hair.

Madi walked to the closest mirror and shook out her hair. She brushed her hair down with her fingers to cover the purple mark on her neck.

“So what college are you going to?” Raven asked Cole as she slid onto a stool next to Murphy.

“Arkadia,” Cole smiled slowly as he leant against the bench slowly.

Madi got two sodas out of the fridge and handed one to Cole.

“Thanks, Babe,” Cole smiled as he straightened up.

“What are you looking at studying?” Raven watched Cole slowly.

“I got into the pre-med program, I want to go into emergency medicine,” Cole smiled and Madi could help but smile proudly up at him.

“Congrats, that’s a hard program to get into,” Raven smiled as she leant against the back of the stool.

“That’s impressive,” Monty spoke up, he was sitting on the bench by Octavia. “More shine, O.” 

“Thanks,” Cole rubbed the back of his neck slowly.

“This is going to be deadly,” Jasper walked into the kitchen, rubbing his hands together. “You’re in for a ride, Cole.”

“What is he talking about?” Cole looked at Madi with a worried look.

“Don’t drink it,” Madi spoke seriously and he just looked even more worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Here's the new chapter!  
I hope you like it!

Madi woke up to find Cole still fast asleep next to her. He hadn’t taken her warning not to drink the moonshine and she knew he was going to have a killer hangover. Madi didn’t drink anything last night because they had to drive home after lunch because they had shifts at the bar while everyone else was coming home on Thursday. She kissed Cole’s cheek gently and got up. She made her way into the kitchen and found Raven pouring a cup coffee.

“You’re up early,” Raven smiled as poured Madi a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, Cole didn’t last long after he drank Monty and Jasper’s moonshine,” Madi laughed quietly and took the coffee from Raven. “I warned him not to.”

“I think they’re going to feel horrible today,” Raven laughed quietly and leant against the bench.

“So am I getting a new cousin?” Madi looked at her aunt with a raised eyebrow.

“How did you know?” Raven frowned slightly.

“You didn’t drink at all yesterday, you and Murphy usually go pedal to the metal on the fourth,” Madi explained with a shrug.

“Maybe, I’m late and I thought it would be best not to drink,” Raven relaxed slowly and a small smile curled at the corner of her mouth. “I’m probably not but better safe than sorry.”

“I still can’t believe you’ve been married to Murphy for ten years,” Madi shook her head and took a long sip of her coffee. 

“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Raven and Madi started to walk out to the back deck. “You and Cole are cute together.”

Madi blushed furiously as she sat down on the outdoor lounge with Raven.

“I’m serious Madi,” Raven sat cross-legged on the couch. “You guys are fit together so well.”

There was a comfortable silence between them as they continued to drink their coffee. They were enjoying the quiet Sunday morning in the sun.

“I still remember the day you were born,” Raven smiled wider. “Your Mom freaked out that she peed herself when her water broke, we were watching a movie when she got up to go pee. She made it like two steps from the lounge when she started to cry about peeing herself.” Raven laughed loudly. “Your nan had just walked in the door when this happened. Your mom was a sobbing mess and apologising but the fluid was still trickling down her leg.”

Madi laughed almost choking on her coffee, she patted her chest to stop coughing.

“Your nan had to explain to her that her water had broke and she was in labour. I shit you not, your mom’s face went white as a sheet and she asked in the quietest whisper, I’m having a baby?” Raven could bare hold back her laughter. “O looked at your mom like she was an idiot and told her well you weren’t just getting fat.”

“Are you serious?” Madi giggled quietly.

“Yeah,” Raven nodded slowly in between quiet laughs before calming down. “When I went to see you and your mom the next afternoon, she was so in love with you and she was no longer a terrified 16 year old, she was your mom, ready to face down anything that would hurt her little girl. Being a teen mother never defined her, she might not have gone to college but look how far she has come. She owns three bars, an amazing house and she’s still able to do the things she loves.”

Madi let it sink in and it made her want to get a fear off her chest. She had never looked when she was born as something that made her mother strong. Madi had always seen her mother getting pregnant with her as being what stopped her from doing so much.

“I was terrified of getting pregnant and becoming the stereotype of a daughter of a teen mom becoming a teen mom. I want to be more,” Madi sighed quietly and rubbed the back of her neck. “I put mom into this category unfairly without thinking about everything she has achieved. Just because of some idiot’s comments at school.”

“People’s words can really affect you, they can make you rethink everything,” Raven’s tone dropped to a softer one and she hugged Madi tightly. “You can only block out so much.”

Madi felt horrible about judging her mother and letting others peoples’ words affect her to the point that she judged her mother. 

“Now let’s talk about something else,” Raven pulled away with a huge grin. “So you and Cole were having a little fun last night after the fireworks. Have you guys…” 

“No, I’m not ready,” Madi shook her head as her cheeks burned red.

“I already gave her the talk about taking her time and experimenting before jumping into things,” Octavia spoke with a groan as she came out with the biggest cup of coffee and a big pair of sunglasses.

Freya followed her mother out on the deck and the conversation stopped. Octavia sat down and Freya automatically curled up into her mother’s side. 

“Why doesn’t Aunty Raven get cuddles?” Raven mocked being offended.

“Because Mommy gets priority when her head is pounding,” Octavia took a big sip of her coffee.

Freya got up and moved to sit next Madi, she cuddled into Madi’s side. Octavia fake pouted and Madi stuck her tongue out at her.

“Madi’s her favourite cousin,” Octavia shrugged slowly.

“Freya’s my favourite little girl,” Madi hugged Freya tightly and kissed the top of her head. 

Cole stumbled out of the house with a groan which made Madi laugh quietly.

“I should have listened to you, babe,” Cole groaned loudly.

“Good morning,” Madi smirked slowly.

“Morning,” He mumbled and leant down, giving her a gentle kiss. “I’m going to down the biggest coffee and get into the shower.”

“Okay, there are pain killers in my bag,” Madi spoke quietly and watched him run his hand down his face.

“Thanks,” Cole stumbled back into the house and Madi noticed Freya’s eyes following Cole.

“She has a little crush,” Octavia nodded towards her daughter as she stared at the door where Cole had disappeared.

“I get where she’s coming from,” Madi smirked and kissed the top of Freya’s head.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Madi watched amused as Freya gave Cole a shy hug just before they got into the car to leave. Madi got into the driver’s seat while she waited for Cole to get in. She gave her family a wave before pulling out of the driveway after Cole got in.

“She has a crush on you,” Madi smirked as she glanced at Cole. “It’s cute.”

“Can you blame her?” Cole smirked as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Cocky much?” She laughed quietly and brushed her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t realise my boyfriend was so cocky.”

“Sorry, I didn’t quite hear that last part,” A goofy grin came across his face.

“I didn’t realise my boyfriend was so cocky,” She glanced at him quickly.

“I’m your what?” his goofy grin grew even more.

“My boyfriend,” She smirked keeping her eyes on the road.

“Damn right I am,” he took her free hand and kissed it gently.

“How’s your hangover?” she squeezed his hand gently.

“Horrible,” he groaned slightly and kissed her head and kissed her hand again.

“Take a nap, we’ve got a drive ahead of us,” she spoke quietly. 

“Are you sure?” He frowned slightly.

“Yeah Honey,” She gave him a small smile.

“I love you,” He smiled and kissed her hand again.

“I love you too.” She smiled as he put the seat back and settled down for a nap.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Madi rolled over again with a groan, she was trying to fall asleep after working a double shift at the bar on Tuesday night. She had been trying to get to sleep since she got home after midnight. She felt weird sleeping by herself and she just couldn’t settle. She groaned and grabbed her phone, it was almost two in the morning. She knew she shouldn’t have but she dialled Cole’s number.

“Hello?” Cole answered with an annoyed groan after awhile.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Madi sighed quietly as she sat up. “Go back to sleep.”

“No baby, it’s okay,” his tone softened but his voice was still gravelly. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, just go back to sleep, I love you,” a wave of guilt washed over her.

“I love you too baby,” his voice gave away that he was still half asleep.

Madi hung up with a sigh and threw her phone on the bed. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and settled on the fact that she probably wasn’t going to sleep well if at all tonight. She sat there hugging her knees slowly for a long time before getting up. 

Madi made her way down the stairs of the empty dark house to the kitchen. She turned the kitchen light on and put the kettle on the stove, turning it on. She hunched over the bench with a sigh. Her body was tired from the long and busy double shift at the bar. She straightened up when the kettle whistled and turned off the flame. 

A loud knock at the door made Madi jump before she cautiously made her way over to the front door. She looked through the peephole and saw Cole standing there in a pair of track pants and a hoodie. Madi opened the door with a frown.

“Cole, what are you doing here?” Madi asked quietly as she let him in.

“When my girlfriend needs me, I’m coming, no matter what time it is,” Cole pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. 

“I just couldn’t sleep,” Madi buried her head in his chest.

“Let's go to bed,” he pushed the door shut and locked it. “Come on.”

He led them upstairs to her bedroom and climbed into bed with her. He spooned her and kissed the back of her head.

“Thank you,” Madi mumbled half asleep already. “I love you.”

“I love you too, get some sleep baby,” he held her tighter.

Madi felt herself drift off, immediately comforted and at peace in his arms. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Madi tried to wake up but couldn’t escape the suffocating darkness. She felt like she was trapped and she couldn’t breathe. She tried to cry out but nothing came out of her mouth.

Madi bolted upright, her chest was heaving and her body was covered in sweat. She found the bed next to her empty as tears stung her eyes. She hugged her knees as her body shook with a mixture of confusion and fear. She hadn’t had a nightmare like that in a long time. 

“Fuck,” Madi groaned as she rubbed the back of her neck.

It was 6:30 am and the sun was starting to rise, she sighed again. She had no idea where Cole was and it made the fear settling down on her chest worse. She saw a post-it note on the lamp and grabbed it.

_ My Mom called, needed to get home. I didn’t want to wake you up. I love you x. _

Madi curled up into a ball, still shaking in the aftermath of her nightmare. She couldn’t stop the tears as they started to stream down her face.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Madi emerged from her room after 9 am, she was still feeling the effects of her nightmare. She found her hidden pack of cigarettes and made a coffee. She settled down on the front steps of the house and lit up her cigarette, her body still shaking from her nightmare. She was drained emotionally and physically from it. She couldn’t stop her tears from starting to flow again and she put her head in her hands again. 

“Madi?” Cole’s voice made Madi look up to see him running from his car over to her. “What’s wrong?”

Cole sat next to her pulling her into his arms. Madi just cried into his chest and he held her tighter.

“I’ve got you,” Cole whispered and kissed the top of her head.

Madi just broke down more, sobbing into his chest. She felt so small and vulnerable in his arms. She couldn’t stop the tears and he just rubbed her back gently. She pulled back slowly and wiped her eyes. 

“What’s wrong baby?” Cole asked quietly and wiped her fresh tears away with his thumb.

“It’s nothing,” Madi mumbled and dropped her head.

“It’s not nothing,” he whispered and lifted her chin gently.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she closed her eyes slowly.

“What can I do to help you feel better?” He asked quietly and stroked her cheek.

“I’m so tired,” she sighed quietly.

“Why don’t I run you a bath? It’ll help you relax. Or a shower?” He suggested quietly.

“A shower would be good,” she mumbled and fidgeted.

“Come on baby,” he helped her up and supported her upstairs.

+++++++++++++++++

Cole helped Madi into bed after their shower, she was thankful that he wasn’t pushing her for answers and just supporting her. He tucked her in and disappeared for a few minutes before coming back with a cup of tea.

“Feeling better?” Cole asked quietly as Madi sat up slowly and took the tea as he passed it to her.

“Yeah thank you,” Madi voice was hoarse from crying so much.

“Are you okay?” His tone gave away how worried he was.

Madi nodded slowly, she was calm enough now to explain what had happened to him. she put the tea on the bedside table and took a deep breath.

“Since I was little I would have these nightmares, the older I got, the worse they became,” Madi took a deep shaky breath. “They were really bad after what happened to my mom, I was already in therapy and my dad told my therapist about what was happening.”

Cole immediately took her hands in his squeezing them.

“It’s called sleep paralysis; my brain wakes up but my body is paralysed. I can’t open my eyes, move or wake up. It feels…” She stopped biting her lip before taking a deep breath. “Like I can’t breathe and all I see is darkness. Sometimes it feels like someone is leaning over me or on top of me. The worst ones are when I can see the person.”

“It happened this morning?” He asked quietly.

“Yeah, I woke up at about 6:30,” She nodded slowly.

“I’m so sorry,” he looked down with a guilty look.

“Why are you apologising?” She frowned as she squeezed his hands.

“I left just after six,” He mumbled quietly.

“It just hasn’t happened in a long time, it just shook me up,” she whispered quietly.

“I should have been here to help you when you woke up,” he sighed defeated. “I wasn’t here because my mom freaked out when she got up and I wasn’t home.”

“Understandable, I did call you in the middle of the night,” she mumbled quietly.

“We had Sophie’s doctor’s appointment at 7:30,” he couldn’t look at her as he spoke. “She’s really pregnant, they did a scan and she’s about ten weeks, so the dates line up. The doctor took the blood for the paternity test.”

Madi felt her chest start to ache painfully. Sophie was pregnant and all signs pointed to it being his baby.

“I’m sorry,” he still couldn’t look that her.

Madi just pulled him into a hug and let him bury his head in the crook of her neck.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice shaking as if he was on the verge of tears.

“Stop apologising,” she whispered reassuringly, holding him.

She needed to be held just as much as he did and when his arms wrapped around her, she felt herself relax again.

+++++++++++++++++

Madi sighed as she got out of the uber at Ethan’s house. The party was already going pretty strong as she walked towards the house. She felt like a coil wound up, Cole hadn’t really talked to her any further about the pregnancy or Sophie. She didn’t want to go to the party but she had promised Cole she’d come.

Madi wasn’t paying attention when someone pushed her. She looked up to see Sophie glaring at her.

“What?” Madi narrowed her eyes at Sophie.

“Stay the fuck away from Cole,” Sophie growled and her fist connected with Madi’s cheek.

Madi wanted to hit Sophie back so bad and it took everything within her not to.

_ You can’t hit a pregnant girl _, Madi repeated in her head as she pushed passed Sophie and walked into the house.

Madi made a beeline for the fridge and grabbed a beer, pressing the cold beverage against her cheek. She found Cole and Ethan in the lounge room, Sophie was crying to Cole. Madi expected Cole to tell her to leave but instead, he rubbed her back. Madi groaned and rolled her eyes as Cole made his way over to her.

“You pushed Sophie over?” Cole frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I pushed passed her after she pushed me and punched me in the face,” Madi took the beer off her cheek and crossed her arms.

“She’s pregnant, Madi. You could’ve hurt the baby,” his words came out in a low growl.

“I barely even touched her, Cole,” she shook her head and rubbed her forehead. “She punched me in the face.”

“She shouldn’t have done but you can’t just push her. She’s hormonal, Madi, you’ve got to understand,” He pleaded and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m going home,” She turned on her heels and made a beeline for the door.

“Madi stop!” He called out as he followed her outside.

“What Cole?” She snapped as she turned back to him. “If it’s about Sophie, I don’t want to hear it.”

“She’s a part of my life, Madi,” he sighed slowly. “You can’t just hurt her or the baby.”

“I didn’t, Cole,” She groaned loudly. “She’s the one who punched me in the face,” she watched him groan loudly. “I’m not going around in circles with you about this.”

Madi turned her back to Cole. She was mad at him, she wasn’t mad that he didn’t choose her. Madi was mad that he was automatically taking Sophie’s side instead of being neutral.

“Baby, just come back inside,” Cole sighed quietly.

“No, I’m going home,” Madi shook her head and started to walk down the street.

“Madi!” He called out to her but she kept walking.

+++++++++++++++++++

Madi avoided Cole for almost a week, she was mad that he didn’t understand what he had done. She was mad that he had taken Sophie’s side when she hadn’t done anything wrong. What frustrated her the most was that he couldn’t stand Sophie but now was taking her side. Madi understood that Cole wanted to make sure that his baby was safe. What she didn’t get was he knew Sophie was overdramatic about everything and yet he just believed her.

Madi had ignored Cole’s calls and texts, she avoided being at home. She stayed at the studio a lot, just painting and trying to clear her head. She had swapped her shifts at the bar so she was working behind the bar rather than serving. She wasn’t going to be able to avoid him tonight, they were both working a shift at the bar.

Madi pulled into the parking lot with a sigh and pulled half of her hair up into a bun. She got out of her car and immediately saw Cole making a beeline for her.

“Madi, I’m sorry. Please stop ignoring me,” Cole spoke quietly shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Believe me now?” Madi turned to face him, giving him a full view of the fading bruise on her cheek. “I didn’t hurt her at all. She’s pregnant with a baby that might be yours. I wouldn’t hurt her or the baby because that would hurt you. Hurting you is the last thing I’d ever want to do.” 

“I’m sorry Madi, I focused on the fact that Sophie told me that you had pushed her over and that she was having cramps,” He sighed running his hand through his hair. 

“I just wish you had believed me,” she crossed her arms and looked down. “I wish you trusted me,” her chest ached painfully and she bit her lip slowly.

“Madi, I’m sorry,” he whispered and pulled her into his arms.

Madi buried her head in his chest and let herself relax slightly. She pulled away slowly and looked up at him slowly.

“We were able to go away and get away from the drama but we’re back here in the real world. You’re most likely the father of Sophie’s baby and she can’t stand me, every time she sees me, she picks a fight with me.” She bit her lip and looked down. “We need to figure out how this is going to work, especially if this baby is yours.”

“I should be getting the results soon then we can figure out exactly how all of this is going to work,” he spoke quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry Madi.”

“Just trust me, Cole,” she spoke quietly and looked up at him slowly. “I’m always on your side, Cole.”

“I love you,” he whispered and put his hands on her waist.

“I love you too,” she got up on her toes and gave him a small kiss. “We’ve got to get in.”

Madi felt Cole keep his hand on her lower back as they walked to the staff lockers in the back room. Anya was at the lockers when they got there.

“Madz, I’m not in tonight, so you’re the manager tonight,” Anya explained quietly as she grabbed her bag. 

“I’ve got it, go enjoy your night,” Madi smiled slowly and hugged her. “Go.”

“Thanks,” Anya smiled widely and quickly made her way out of the bar.

+++++++++++++++++++

Madi walked from bar to the server station, she had seen one of the servers consistently hanging around there instead of waiting on her table. It was a busy night, so it was really pissing Madi off. Cole was collecting food from the kitchen window and putting in an order for another table.

“Why are you hanging around here?” Madi frowned as she crossed her arms slowly.

“Hot stuff over there has my tables covered,” the server smirked and watched Cole walk back to the window.

“Cole?” Madi called Cole over and he complied immediately. “Are you covering her tables?”

“They were sitting there for a long time without even menus, I took their orders,” Cole explained quietly. 

“Alright, she’s going to take over,” Madi turned to face the girl. “You’re going to look after all of the tables in your sections.”

“But-,” The female server started to argue.

“But nothing, you either clear the tables or leave, I’m not paying you to stand around and doing nothing,” Madi spoke firmly and immediately the server started to get back to work.

“I’m sorry babe,” Cole looked guilty as he bit his lip.

“Next time, come grab me or Anya,” Madi gave him a small smile. “Get back to work.”

“Yes boss,” He smirked before turning back to get back to work. 

Madi smiled and started to go check on tables. She stopped at a table where she knew the customers have had a little too much to drink.

“How are we doing tonight?” Madi put her customer service smile on.

“Better now that walked your cute little ass over,” one of the males slurred and leant in closer to Madi.

“It looks like you guys are having a good night,” Madi laughed as she started to subtly remove the almost full bottles of beers from the table. “Have you guys tried our dessert milkshakes?” 

One of the servers grabbed the beers from behind Madi’s back.

“No but we’re good,” One of the other guys smiled slowly.

“Well, I’m gonna clear your table and get you guys some water,” she watched one of the guys from the corner of her eye as his hand drifted behind her.

“You should sit that cute little ass down on my lap,” the guy went to smack Madi’s ass but she grabbed his hand before he could do it.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Madi warned with a sweet voice. “If you touch me, they’ll be a fair few security guards who would love to escort you out. Would you like those waters now?”

“Yes, Miss,” The guy who went to slap her ass put his head down shamefully.

“Alright, I’ll get those waters for you,” Madi turned on her heels, motioned for one of the busboys to get water for the table.

Madi sighed and walked back towards the server station. She could see Cole getting ready to march over to the table and she intercepted him.

“Leave it,” Madi spoke firmly and put her hand on his chest. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Cole asked quietly and brushed her hair behind her ear.

Madi avoid public displays of affections with Cole when they were at work. She knew at this moment he really needed this.

“I promise,” she whispered in a softer tone. “Want me to cover your tables, so you can take a break?”

“I’m good,” He spoke unconvincingly.

“Let me get one of the servers to cover your tables and I’ll come out with you,” She spoke quietly before turning to one of the servers she trusted. “Hey Max, can you cover Cole’s tables while he goes on break?”

“Yeah, of course,” Max nodded slowly with a small smile.

“Thanks, Max,” Madi gave him a small smile before heading out to the back room. 

Madi led Cole out of the back door and taking a deep breath of the cool night air. Cole pulled Madi into a deep kiss, his arms wrapping around her tightly. When he pulled away from the kiss, he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

“I’m okay, I promise,” Madi whispered and rubbed Cole’s back gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispered and pulled away slowly. “I just needed a breather,” he sighed quietly.

“When you first go to cut someone off, you have to be sickly sweet to distract them,” she sat down on bench slowly. “If they’re sleazy, I always keep an eye out so I can stop them from making their move.”

“I’m going to stay here with you until you finish,” he spoke firmly as he sat next to her.

There was a long silence between them as Cole wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Madi rested her head on his shoulder with a content smile.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” Cole whispered and kissed her head gently. 

“We’re both lucky,” Madi whispered, turning her head to smile at him. “We should get back in.” 

Madi got up slowly but Cole pulled her back into his lap, kissing her neck, causing a quiet moan to leave her lips.

“Come home with me tonight?” He asked quietly between kisses on her neck.

“Not tonight,” she whispered as his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Okay,” he kissed her cheek gently. “I just miss holding you in bed.”

“I do too but not tonight,” she whispered but he just tightened his arms around her.

“Not tonight,” he agreed quietly.

Madi got up again, pulling him with her and laughed quietly.

“I love you,” He kissed her cheek again.

“I love you too,” She smiled as she opened the back door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
It's almost the end of 2019!  
Please enjoy this new chapter!

The last two weeks had been calm, Madi and Cole had settled down, going out on actual dates. They were taking more time to spend together alone. Madi had been going to the art studio almost every day, the more time she spent with Cole, the more inspired to paint she felt.

Madi left her stool to go to her supply cabinet, she dug through one of her boxes of paint to try and find the colour she was looking for. The door to the studio opening made her jump slightly, she turned to see Lincoln coming in with a smile.

“Hey Madz, I’ve got some really good news,” Lincoln smiled widely and put his bag on the table.

“And what’s that Linc?” Madi smiled and walked over to him, giving up on finding the colour she wanted.

“Vincent sold your entire collection,” He pulled a folder out of his bag.

“No way, all of them?” Her draw dropped, the paintings had been on display for only a week.

“All of them, here,” He passed her a piece of paper, the paper being a record of sale.

Madi stared at the paper, her mouth still gaping open. The number scared her, she never expected to see a number like that for five paintings.

“This has to be a mistake,” She mumbled.

“Nope, no mistake, $22,989,” he laughed happily and handed her the check.

“Holy shit,” she breathed out staring at the check.

“Vincent wants you to put together a whole exhibit, take your time with it. He needs at least 30 pieces,” he gave her a tight hug. “Hype is starting to build for your works in New York.”

“Thank you,” she hugged him tightly.

“It was all you,” he chuckled pulling away from her. “You need to go to the bank and deposit this check before you lose it.”

“This is insane,” she mumbled as she grabbed her bag. “I’m going to the bank and then the art supply store.”

“I’m proud of you, Madz,” he smiled slowly and watched her pack up her stuff. “You should rent a studio near the college, so you can work in peace.”

“I didn’t think about it before but now I will, thank you so much,” She gave him another hug before grabbing her things to leave.

  
\---------------------------

Madi got out of the car at Cole’s house after going to the bank. The art supply store was closed for lunch but she was excited to tell Cole about the paintings. She didn’t even make it to the stairs before Cole had come out and engulfed her into a tight hug. Madi could feel him lift her off the ground and started to spin her around with a loud laugh. He didn’t put her down when he gave her a deep kiss. He put her down gently but deepened the kiss before he pulled away with a huge grin.

“I have really good news,” Cole beamed happily as he released his hold on her.

“Me too but you first,” Madi smiled as readjusted her paint-stained tank top.

“The paternity test results came back,” He grinned widely. “I’m not the father, no more dealing with Sophie’s bullshit,” he pulled her closer. “Just you and me baby.” He pulled her into a kiss.

Hearing those words made all the weight of the Sophie drama fall off her shoulders. She deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms his neck. He lifted her and spun her around again causing her to giggle against his lips. He gently put her down on her feet and pulled away from the kiss slowly.

“Now what was your news baby?” He smiled stroked her cheek gently.

“Remember those paintings I sent to my uncle’s friend,” she smiled as he nodded slowly and got the record of sale out of her back pocket. “They have all been sold.” 

Cole immediately pulled Madi into a deep kiss and his arms wrapping around her tightly. He pulled back from the kiss slowly.

“I’m so proud of you,” he beamed happily and stroked her cheek gently. 

“Look at this,” she passed him the paper with a smile.

She watched his draw drop as he looked at the price on the paper.

“That’s not all,” she whispered shyly. “He wants me to put a whole exhibit together, I’m going to use this money to rent a studio close to the college so I can work on the exhibit.”

“We need to celebrate, Ethan’s throwing a party in the woods tonight,” he wrapped one arm around her and walked inside with her. “Let me take you out for dinner first, we can go anywhere you like,” he grinned. “We need to celebrate.”

“What are we celebrating?” Henry smiled as they walked into the kitchen.

“Madi just sold five of her paintings in a gallery in New York and now they’ve asked her to do a whole exhibition,” Cole beamed proudly, pulling Madi closer to him.

“That’s amazing, congratulations,” Jane grinned and pulled Madi into a hug.

“Thank you,” Madi spoke shyly and hugged Jane.

“That’s impressive,” Henry smiled when his wife freed Madi from the hug. “How much did they sell for?” He asked curiously.

“Henry, you can’t ask that,” Jane scolded her husband with a light tap on his arm.

“No it’s okay,” Madi shook her head slowly. “Excluding the gallery fees, $22,989.”

“Holy shit!” Henry exclaimed in shock.

“That was my reaction exactly,” Madi laughed quietly as Cole pulled her closer to his side.

“Are you using the money towards college?” Jane asked quietly.

“I’m going to use it to rent a studio close to campus, the rest I’ll put into savings,” Madi explained quietly. “I have to live in the dorms for the first year but after that, I want to get an apartment near campus.”

“We’ll have to see your works sometime,” Jane smiled as she leant against the bench.

“My nan has one hanging in the lounge room, it’s of the spot where she got married,” Madi rested her head on Cole’s chest.

“I love that painting, I didn’t know you painted it,” Jane beamed happily as went back to chopping up vegetables. “Are you staying the night after the party?”

“I think so,” Madi looked at Cole for confirmation, who just needed slowly. 

“What are you two doing now?” Henry sat on one of the stools and swiped a piece of cucumber off the chopping board, biting into it with a smirk at his wife.

“Going upstairs to make you guys a grandbaby,” Cole smirked smugly.

“Cole!” Madi glared at him and slapped his chest, her cheeks burned bright red.

“Haha,” Jane rolled her eyes slowly.

“I’m going to the art supply store to pick up some paint,” Madi moved out of Cole’s arm and tightened her ponytail. “Thank you for letting me stay tonight, I’ll see you guys later,” She smiled before turning on her heels.

“I’m coming with you,” Cole grabbed Madi by the waist and kissed her neck causing her to giggle while she swatted away his hands.

“I’m buying you guys more condoms!” Henry called out with a slight chuckle.

“I hate you,” Madi groaned and removed Cole’s hands from her waist as they walked towards the door. 

“Nope, you love me,” Cole chuckled triumphantly as they walked out of the house.

  
\-----------------------

  
“So this is where you get your tools of mass creation?” Cole smirked as he followed Madi into the art supply store.

“You’re such a dork,” Madi laughed as she made a beeline for the oil paints. “But yes, this is where I get my tools of mass creation.”

“There’s so many colours,” He breathed out in awe as his eyes danced over the paints.

“I don’t think there’s enough,” she smiled and grabbed one of the baskets.

“Here let me carry it,” He grabbed the basket from her and gave her a gentle kiss. “How much are you getting?” 

“I think I’m going to stock up, so I have a decent amount for when we move,” she bit her lip and started picking out paints.

“I like when you say we,” He smiled brightly and kissed her cheek. “You should teach me how to paint.”

“Okay,” she smiled and laced her fingers in his. “Let me finish picking the oil paint that I want and then we’ll pick out some watercolour paint.”

“Like those cake ones,” He kissed the back of her hand gently.

“Well there are those but I prefer the paste form, you have a little more freedom with it,” She turned her attention to the paints again. “It’s easier to mix your own colours with it.”

“God you’re sexy when you talk art,” he pulled her into a kiss slowly. 

“Stop or we’ll never get this shopping done,” she laughed quietly. 

“Wait until I have my way with you tonight,” he whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek.

“Not tonight,” she bit her lip slowly, she didn’t know how to tell him she was on her period.

“That’s okay,” he gave her a gentle kiss. “How are you feeling baby?”

“I’m fine, it’s just not the best time for us to do stuff,” she mumbled quietly and looked down embarrassed. 

“I know what you mean, baby,” he kissed her temple gently. “I’m asking if you are feeling alright, I want to know if there’s anything I can do to help you.”

“I’m alright,” she whispered and squeezed his hand. “Let me finish getting the oil paints then we can choose the watercolour.”

“Okay baby,” He kissed her cheek gently.

Madi had almost filled up the entire basket with paint when they had made their way to the watercolour paints.

“What do you want to paint?” she looked up at him slowly and squeezed his hand gently.

“How about the lake? Kind of a Bob Ross painting,” He grinned, kissing the top of her head.

“Alright, do you want to pick out the colours you want to use?” She wanted to pick out the right colours for what he wanted but she wanted to give him the freedom.

“So I definitely need a white, a black, a blue and a green,” he picked out the tubes and put them in the basket. “A yellow, red and brown.”

Madi tried not to show her cringe when he picked out the wrong brown and yellow.

“What?” He laughed quietly. “I picked the wrong ones, didn’t I?” 

“This is your painting, you can pick the whatever colours you want,” she gave him a reassuring smile.

“Well I want these ones,” he smirked slowly and kissed her cheek.

“Alright,” she smiled slowly, letting go of his hand and started to walk towards the counter.

The boy behind the counter, Peter, smiled at Madi widely. He was twenty and was currently on his gap year from college, he was starting college at the end of summer. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, his muscular build was hidden under his loose paint-stained t-shirt.

“Hey Madi, long time no see,” Peter smirked as he leant over the counter. “I’ve tried to catch up with you at Lincoln’s studio but I never seem to be able to catch you.”

“Hey Peter, I’m usually there after hours or I’m in the backroom,” Madi smiled slowly as Cole put the basket on the counter. 

“I should check out the back room next time,” Peter smirked as he checked out Madi’s chest as her tank top. “I’ve always wanted to paint with you.”

“I’m Cole, Madi’s boyfriend,” Cole extended his hand out to Peter.

“I’m Peter, how long have you known Madi for?” Peter’s tone changed into a stiff one.

“Most of our lives,” Cole smirked slowly and wrapped his arm around Madi’s waist. 

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” Peter frowned slightly as he looked at Madi.

“You never asked,” she shrugged slowly and waited for Peter to start scanning the paint. 

Peter hummed in response and started to scan the paint. It was awkward, Peter would go from glancing at Madi’s chest to glaring at Cole as he pulled Madi closer into his side.

Peter mumbled the total as he glanced at Madi. She paid with her card and shivered slightly at the awkward tension.

“Thanks,” Madi mumbled as Cole grabbed the three full bags from the counter.

“See you around,” Cole smiled before walking out with Madi.

They were quiet until they got into the car, he turned to her with a smirk and pulled her into a deep kiss.

“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” Cole mumbled against her lips. 

“Are you jealous?” Madi smirked and pulled away from the kiss.

“No, because I know he has no chance in hell with my girl,” He relaxed back in his seat. “My girl loves me too much.”

“No not jealous,” she laughed quietly. “Just cocky.”

“Tell me it isn’t true,” he smirked looking at her.

“You know I can’t do that,” she sighed happily and gave him another kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiled, giving her another gentle kiss. “What do you want to do for dinner?”

“Take out at the lookout?” She asked quietly as she started her car.

“Perfect,” he smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

  
_________________________

  
Madi smirked as she stole one of Cole’s sweet potato fries. They were sitting on top of one of the rock at their favourite lookout in the woods. 

“Hey!” Cole grumbled with a frown before smiling when Madi pouted. “Whatever happened to that big dog that you used to have?”

“He got sick about five years ago,” Madi spoke quietly and looked down slowly. “He got worse and we had to put him down, it wasn’t fair to make him suffer,” Madi’s voice broke as she spoke.

“I’m sorry Madi,” he put his hand on her back.

“O and Lincoln still have his brother Chewy,” She gave a small sad smile before shaking her head slowly. “I don’t want to be sad today.” 

“Would you want another dog?” He asked quietly, not wanting to upset her.

“Maybe, I haven’t really thought about it,” she shrugged slowly. 

Madi went back to eating quietly, it was getting dark and she wanted to finish eating before all the sunlight was gone.

“Have you found out who your roommate is yet?” He changed the subject after a few moments of silence.

“Some girl call Cali, you?” She raised her eyebrow at him.

“Ethan, we requested to be roomed together,” He smirked slowly. “I wish you I could room with you,” He smirked and kissed her cheek with a smirk.

“Just because you want to sleep with me,” she smirked and tapped her finger on the tip of his nose. “Boop.”

“Damn straight I do,” he pulled her onto his lap, so she was straddling him, making her giggle. “You should be wearing a bra,” he half groaned as his hands ran up her sides.

“And why should I?” she raised an eyebrow as she put her arms over his shoulders.

“One this shirt is really tight and two, it means I can do this,” he tapped his thumbs on her nipples through her shirt. “Boop.”

“Cole!” She jumped up and put her arms over her chest. “Are you serious?!” 

“Would you rather me do this?” He got up and picked her up in one swift movement.

He laid her down on the hood of his car and he pulled down her tank top to free her breast. He immediately took her nipple into his mouth and sucked gently. She moaned loudly and laced her fingers into his hair.

“Cole,” Madi whimpered and threw her head back as he sucked harder.

Madi could hear Cole chuckling against her, his teeth grazed her nipple. She cried out when he bit down gently on her nipple.

“You like that huh?” He smirked as he leant up, squeezing her breast gently.

“Mmhmm,” she hummed as her chest heaved.

“Good,” he smirked and gave her a longing kiss, biting her bottom lip gently.

Madi moaned into the kiss as she pushed herself up slowly. She managed to get her feet back on the ground. She turned him around so he was leaning against the hood of his car. Her hand travelled down his chest before groping him through his jeans. She pulled away from the kiss with a smirk before sinking down to her knees. She unbuttoned his jeans and freed him.

“Madi,” Cole moaned as she stroked him gently.

Madi took him into her mouth and slowly ran her tongue around his head causing him to moan loudly.

“Fuck baby,” he moaned as she took him further into her mouth.

She started at a steady pace as his fingers laced into her hair. She moaned as she took him deeper into her mouth. She was slowly training herself to take him deeper. Madi couldn’t lie, she had looked up tips online, she wanted to get better at it for him.

“So good,” he moaned louder and pulled her hair gently.

She quickened her pace, sensing that he was getting close to finishing. His moans became closer together and his grip on her hair tightened caused her to moan. She quickened her pace until he held her head still as he erupted in her mouth. She swallowed and started to take him out of her mouth until only the head remained in her mouth. Her tongue flicked over the tip, cleaning him of his cum.

“You dirty fuckers!” Ethan’s voice echoed, making both Madi and Cole jump.

“What the fuck Ethan!” Cole growled as he pulled up his jeans.

Madi adjusted her top and stood up, keeping her back to Ethan. Her cheeks burned red as she wiped her mouth.

“Aww did I embarrassing you Madi?” Ethan laughed as he walked over to Madi and draped his arm around her shoulders.

“Ethan,” Cole growled and lifted Ethan’s arm off Madi’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry Madi, I didn’t mean to catch you with your mouth full,” Ethan laughed loudly and clapped his hands.

“You’re just jealous,” Madi mumbled and sought the safety of Cole’s arms. 

“I am Madi, I really want someone to suck my dick,” Ethan smirked teasingly as he jabbed Madi’s side.

“Maybe if you wash it every once and a while maybe somebody would,” Madi rolled her eyes and Cole pushed his friend away.

“Leave her alone,” Cole growled and wrapped his arms around Madi tightly, kissing the top of her head. “You okay?”

“I can handle him,” she smirked and looked up at him.

“He’s an asshole,” Cole grumbled and gave her a gentle kiss.

“Watch this,” she smirked and slipped out of his arms. 

“Forgive me,” Ethan pouted and held his arms out to Madi.

Madi accepted his hug, she got on her tippy toes and licked up his face from his chin to his cheek.

“Cole, she’s freaky!” Ethan cheer as he pulled her closer to him before she pulled away to go back to Cole.

“Good one,” Cole chuckled as he pulled Madi back into his arms as she giggled loudly. “Serves you right for picking on my girlfriend! Enjoy my cum on your face!”

“Disgusting!” Ethan almost squealed and wiped his cheek. “Screw you!” Ethan shouted as he stumbled towards his car.

Ethan grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured it on his face.

“I fucking love you,” Cole chuckled and kissed Madi slowly as his hands slipped to cup her ass.

“I love you too,” Madi giggled against his lips as he lifted her up and guided her legs to hook around his waist.

“Are you trying to actually get someone pregnant with your kid already?” A male voice made them pull apart from the kiss and Cole put Madi on her feet. “I go away to college and you’re spreading your seed everywhere.”

“Myles, this is my girlfriend Madi,” Cole kept both arms around Madi’s waist as they faced Myles.

“Girlfriend huh?” Myles raised his eyebrow as his eyes focused on Madi’s hard nipples that were clearly visible through her tank top.

Madi felt uncomfortable under Myles’ gaze and folded her arms over her chest. She pressed her back against Cole’s chest, letting him know she was uncomfortable.

“Didn’t I cut your hair when we were younger?” Myles smirked and brushed Madi’s hair behind her ear.

“Yeah you did,” Madi moved back from his touch and shivered, making Cole hold her tighter.

“Let’s go get some drinks babe,” Cole spoke up and started to lead Madi towards his car. “You okay?” he whispered in her ear.

“Do you have a shirt in your car?” She mumbled as he opened the trunk of his car.

“Yeah baby,” he passed her a t-shirt that was in his trunk.

Madi pulled the shirt on and grabbed a beer from the cooler in the trunk.

“Madi!” Taylor’s voice Madi turn around to see her uncle coming towards her with her brother in tow.

“I didn’t know you guys were coming,” Madi hugged Taylor slowly.

“Ethan invited us,” Theo spoke in a stony voice as he shook Cole’s hand.

Madi passed Taylor and Theo a beer each as they made small talk.

“You’re in deep shit,” Ethan shouted as he picked Madi up over his shoulder and started running into the woods.

“Ethan!” Madi shouted and hit Ethan’s back as she watched the trees pass by.

“Ethan!” Cole half shouted as he ran after them.

Suddenly, Ethan threw Madi and she landed in the water with a loud splash. When she stood up in the water and found Ethan laughing. Cole pushes his friend but this just made him laugh more.

“Here, I’ll help you out,” Ethan laughed as he held his hand out to Madi.

Madi took his hand and used all of her strength to pull him into the water. Madi laughed and took Cole’s hand to get out of the water.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked quietly.

“Yeah but I’m going to need to go home and get changed,” Madi laughed as Ethan trudged through the water to get out. 

“Want me to come with you?” Cole put his hand on her cheek gently. 

“No, it’s okay,” Madi smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. “I’ll be back soon.”

“I’m sorry Madi,” Ethan apologised and started to wring the water out of his shirt.

“I’m going to get you back,” She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s on, Ethan,” she smirked slowly.

  
\----------------------- 

Madi had to park further away than before and had to walk a fair way to get to where the party was. She found Theo making out with one of the guys in his grade. She kept walking, not wanting to disturb her brother. By the bonfire that had been build up, Cole was surrounded by a few girls from their graduating class and the grade below them. The girls were flirting with him, twirling their hair around their fingers and touching his arm, not to mention their giggling at whatever he was saying. 

Madi felt jealousy burning inside her when she saw one of the girls cuddling into his side and an uncomfortable look on his face as he moved away from the girl. Madi jealousy burned intensely as she walked over to him, she grabbed his hand to draw his attention and got up onto the tips of her toes to draw him into a deep kiss. Cole’s arms immediately wrapped around her and lifted her before placing her back on her feet, pulling away from the kiss.

“Hey baby,” Cole pulled Madi into his side. “I missed you.”

“Hi Honey,” Madi grinned widely up at him. “I missed you.”

Madi felt triumphant when the girls started to disperse realising that Cole was taken. She smirked up at him and he just leant down to kiss her again.

“Thank you,” he whispered against her lips as he held her close.

“You’re just too irresistible,” she pulled back with a smirk. “I forgot the soda in my car, I’ll be back,” She spoke quickly as Ethan called out to Cole.

“Okay, don’t take too long,” he gave her long lingering kiss.

Cole disappeared to find Ethan as she started to walk slowly back to where her car was parked.

“Madi!” Taylor’s voice called out and Madi immediately knew something was wrong.

Madi sprinted towards Taylor’s voice and found Myles throwing Theo to the ground.

“Fucking Fag!” Myles shouted and started to go towards Theo again.

Myles landed a kick on Theo as Taylor tried to pull Theo away from his attacker. Madi saw red, she ran towards Myles and pushed him back before punching him square in the nose.

“You homophobic fuck!” Madi punched him again. “How dare you touch my brother!” 

“You bitch!” Myles grabbed Madi by the throat and lifted her up slightly.

She struggled as his hand squeezed her airway shut and she couldn’t help trying to gasp for air. She kicked him in the groin as hard as she could and he immediately let go of her. He stumbled back from the impact to his groin.

“Get out of here!” Madi shouted.

Theo had gotten up and even though he was stumbling, he stood in front of Madi, putting himself in between Myles and Madi.

“You’re fucking disgusting fag,” Myles spat at Theo but Theo stood firmly.

“At least I’m not an ignorant asshole,” Theo growled through his teeth and Myles immediately punched Theo in the face.

Cole ran down the dirt road and punched Myles in the face. He would’ve punched him more but Ethan and Taylor held him back.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Cole growled as Ethan and Taylor held him back.

Myles stumbled up and disappeared out of sight. Madi was checking Theo who had fallen back from the last punch.

“That’s going to leave a nasty bruise,” Madi sighed quietly as she brushed the hair out of her little brother’s face.

“I’m okay, Madi,” Theo sighed sitting up slowly. “Are you okay?” he lifted Madi’s chin gently to examine her neck.

“I’m fine,” she reassured and coughed quietly, her throat sore from being choked. 

“He touched you?” Cole knelt beside Madi as soon as Taylor and Ethan let go of him.

“I’m fine, Cole,” She whispered and let him examine her. 

“Thank you, Cole,” Theo held his hand out to Cole, his voice was softer rather than his usual stony voice.

“It’s no problem,” Cole shook Theo’s hand and gave him a small smile.

Cole stood up, helping Madi up before he offered a hand to Theo to help him up. Theo accepted Cole’s hand to get up and got up slowly with a wince as he held his ribs.

“Want me to drive you home?” Madi asked quietly as she leant into Cole’s side.

“Nah, I’m okay,” Theo shook his head slowly. “I just really need a beer.”

“Me too,” She hummed agreeing quietly.

“I think we all could go for a beer,” Ethan spoke up as he ran his hand through his hair.

“What are we waiting for?” Taylor smiled widely as he started to walk back towards the party.

“What happened to the guy you were with?” Madi asked quietly as they started to walk towards the party again. 

“He took off when Myles started shouting,” Theo shrugged tightly.

Cole kept his arm around Madi’s waist tightly and kissed the top of her head.

  
\---------------------------

Madi turned her bedroom light out and crawled into her bed where Cole was already half asleep. She had been the designated driver so she was tired as all hell and it was past 4 am. Madi cuddled up to Cole and felt him kiss the top of her head.

“Are you feeling alright?” Cole asked in a sleepy voice. 

“Yeah, just tired,” Madi spoke quietly and yawned loudly.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He spoke quietly and the worry in his voice was obvious.

“No, he didn’t,” she turned on her stomach and rested her chin on his chest.

“He really could’ve hurt you, Madi,” His voice broke as he brushed her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you,” his voice broke as tears welled up in his eyes. “Just promise me that you won’t put yourself in a position like that again.”

“I promise,” she whispered watching him slowly.

Cole leant up and kissed Madi slowly, his hand ran up her back and pulled her closer. His free hand cupped her cheek gently as he deepened the kiss.

“I love you,” he mumbled against her lips.

Madi pulled away from the kiss and stroked his cheek gently.

“I love you too,” she whispered and gave him a gentle kiss. 

“I can’t imagine not having you in my life now that I have you,” he whispered as he continued to stroke her cheek. “I don’t ever want to lose you, Madi. I’m in this for the long haul.”

“Me too,” she whispered and kissed him again. “For better or worse.”

“Marry me?” He watched her carefully for his reaction as he stroked her cheek. “Not now, it’s too soon and I want to build a life for us but sometime in the future.”

“I’d love to but not for another five years or so,” a small smirk played on her lips as she watched him. “But you’ve got to ask me properly when the time is right.”

“I promise,” he chuckled and kissed her slowly. 

“This is insane,” she giggled against his lips. “We’ve only been dating for a month.”

“Best month of my life,” he chuckled and held her tighter.

“You are drunk,” she laughed quietly and buried her head in his chest.

“Okay I’m a little drunk,” he kissed the top of her head gently and chuckled quietly. “We need to sleep.” 

“Yeah we do,” she laughed quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think and have a happy new year!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!  
Here's a bonus chapter to celebrate!

Madi woke up to Cole kissing her awake but she pulled away from the kiss with a slight frown. She had gone to bed alone and now was being kissed awake by Cole.

“Happy birthday baby,” Cole grinned widely as he sat back.

“Thank you,” Madi sat up slowly and brushed her hair out of face before kissing him again. 

Cole pulled away from the kiss and handed her a small box.

“I told you I didn’t want anything,” she mumbled and kissed him again slowly.

“Open it,” he smiled and kissed her temple.

Madi opened it and found a silver necklace with an infinity pendant.

“Do you like it?” he asked quietly and rubbed her arm gently.

“I love it,” She looked up at him with a huge grin. “Thank you.”

“I’m happy you like it,” he grinned widely and kissed her slowly.

They broke apart from the kiss when Augustus and Julian ran in, jumping on the bed.

“Happy birthday!” Augustus shouted and tackled Madi into a hug.

“Thank you,” Madi laughed and hugged her little brother.

‘Happy birthday’ Julian signed with a huge smile.

‘Thank you’ Madi signed slowly.

“These two little guys helped me pick out your necklace,” Cole grinned and high fived the twins.

“Well you guys did an amazing job, I love it,” She kissed each of their cheeks gently.

‘Put it on,’ Julian signed and handed the box to Cole.

Madi pulled her hair up and Cole put the necklace on her gently.

“Breakfast is ready,” Theo knocked on the open door. “Happy birthday sis.”

“Thanks,” Madi smiled getting out of bed slowly. “I’ll meet you guys down there; I want to get dressed.”

The twins ran out and Theo closed the door slowly. Madi pulled her tank top off and Cole watched her with a smirk. 

“If only your family weren’t downstairs waiting for us,” he bit his lip as he watched her from the bed.

“If only,” she smirked as she turned to face him, still shirtless.

“Madi, breakfast is ready,” Bellamy opened her bedroom door.

“Jesus Christ dad again!” Madi screamed and covered her chest with her arms. “Learn how to knock!”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Bellamy snapped loudly as he crossed the room towards her.

“Bellamy!” Clarke’s voice echoed from out of sight.

“Getting dressed! Now get out!” Madi snapped as she tried to grab a t-shirt. “Mom get your crazy husband out of my room! I’m half-naked and sick of having to do this every time Cole stays over!”

“Bellamy!” Clarke yelled louder and started to stomp upstairs. 

“You get downstairs,” Bellamy growled at Cole who just got up and went downstairs.

Bellamy walked out of the room and shut the door slowly. Madi groaned loudly as she finished putting the t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. She walked downstairs slowly and met Cole at the bottom of the stairs.

“Your dad really hates me,” Cole spoke quietly and gave her a gentle kiss.

“I think he secretly likes you,” she whispered as she laced her fingers into his and walked into the dining room.

“I’m sorry about your dad, baby girl,” Clarke hugged her daughter tightly. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks, mom,” Madi pulled back from the hug slowly.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving for college in two days,” Clarke brushed Madi’s hair behind her ear gently. “Time has flown by so fast, you’re nineteen already.”

“Mom,” Madi hugged her mother slowly again.

“Come on, let’s eat,” Clarke smiled slowly and led her into her seat.

  
\-------------------------------------------- 

  
Madi had enjoyed the lunch with her whole family, it was sad at the same time because it was the last time they were getting together before she left for college. Late in the afternoon, Cole whisked Madi way when everyone had left the house. 

“Where are we going?” Madi giggled quietly as Cole drove them down a road she didn’t recognise.

“To Vegas, to marry you,” Cole smirked and kissed the back of her hand as he turned onto the highway.

“You’re kidding, that’s a three-day drive,” She watched him with disbelief.

“Okay no that’s a lie, but I do have a surprise for you,” He smiled at her slowly and turned off onto a dirt road.

“Are you planning on murdering me in the woods?” she deadpanned as she looked out the window, watching the trees pass by in a flash as the sun set.

“Maybe,” he chuckled as he turned down another road.

Madi could see a clearing up ahead and fairy lights hung up in the trees above the clearing.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed out as he stopped the car and turned the engine off.

“I thought we could have some time alone before everyone comes for the birthday party I’m throwing for you,” he smirked and leant over kissing her gently.

When they got out of the car, Madi took the time to look around more. That’s when she noticed the mattress set up on wooden pallets holding it up from the forest floor.

Madi knew what Cole’s plan was and she was ready, she wanted to do this and what he had set up was perfect. She could feel the excitement build up in her and she bit her lip as she looked him. Cole gave her a hungry look and pulled her into a hungry kiss as he picked her up. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down gently, kissing her neck.

“Cole,” She whimpered as he pulled her dress up and hooked his thumbs into her panties and pulled them down as he kissed her hip.

“Wet for me already baby?” he ran his finger down her slit slowly and watched her squirm under his touch before pulling his shirt off.

She leant up to kiss him and he took the opportunity to pull her dress up off her, leaving her naked in front of him. He kissed down her neck to her breasts and he sucked on her nipple gently.

“Cole,” She whimpered and laced her fingers into his hair.

His lips travelled down her stomach and then her leg before he willed them to open. He gently kissed her inner thigh and a shiver went through her entire body. He pressed a kiss to her clit and she moaned loudly as she threw her head back.

“You can be as loud as you want,” he looked up at her with a hungry smirk. “I want you to make you scream.”

Cole delved his tongue into her and Madi could help the moan from leaving her lips. He hummed against her as his tongue expertly worked in and out of her.

“Cole,” she moaned loudly through laboured breaths.

He pressed his thumb to her clit and rolled his thumb over it in small circles. Her whole body shivered and she could feel herself building up. She moaned loudly and laced her fingers into his hair. He moved his mouth, so he could suck on her clit hard and his finger rubbed against her entrance.

Madi cried out louder than she ever had before when they fooled around. She was close to cumming but he pulled away from her before she could. She whined quietly not satisfied as she watched him get up to take his jeans off and pulled a condom out of his pocket. She watched him put it on as she bit her lip slowly before he climbed on top of her again.

“Are you sure?” He asked with a shaky breath.

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly and kissed him slowly.

He took his time giving her slow gentle kisses and he slipped his arm under her to hold her closer to him. Nerves were making her breath shake as he pulled away from the kiss.

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” He whispered and watched her carefully.

Madi nodded slowly and Cole rubbed his hard self against her slit causing them both to moan loudly. He did this a few more times causing waves of excitement to wash over her and she moaned loudly with every movement. He sucked in a breath and lined himself up with her entrance. She could feel the tip of him at her entrance, he hadn’t pushed into her yet and he just rubbed against her entrance again. Cole watched her carefully before he started to kiss her slowly.

“Oohhhh! I caught you two fucking!” Ethan’s voice rang out and Cole growled as he pulled the sheet from the mattress over them before he rolled off her. “Happy fucking birthday Madi literally!” 

Madi turned onto her stomach and buried her face into her hands mortified.

“What the fuck Ethan!” Cole growled as he sat up. “I told you not to come until 8.”

“Well I’m not a very good listener,” Ethan smirked and slowly walked closer to them. “Aww is Madi a little embarrassed?” he mocked and poked Madi’s side. “Did I ruin your little sexy time?”

“Fuck off,” Cole pushed Ethan away with a loud growl.

“Touchy,” Ethan backed away with his hands up in the air. “Fine, I’ll let you get dressed,” he backed away and turned back to walk to his car.

“I’m sorry,” Cole sighed loudly and kissed her bare shoulder.

“Can you give me my clothes please?” She whispered, still not bringing her head up.

Cole passed her the dress and panties, she immediately put them on before getting up. Madi was mortified and upset. She crossed her arms over her chest and walked a little into the woods. She needed some space and time to calm down.

“Baby?” Cole called after her but didn’t follow her.

“I just need a minute,” She called back as she kept walking.

She kept walking for a few more minutes before sitting down on a fallen log and wiped away the tears that had started to flow down her cheeks.

Madi had never felt so embarrassed and violated. What supposed to be a special and intimate moment was made to be mortifying and humiliating. She needed to take time to calm down and build up her composure again. After five minutes, Madi felt like she was composed enough to face both Ethan and Cole, she started to walk back, stopping when she heard Cole and Ethan fighting.

“You knew what my plan was,” Cole growled loudly and Madi could hear that they were moving things. “You just had to come to ruin things.”

“What? It was a joke,” Ethan countered loudly. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Actually, it kind of was,” Cole sighed and threw something.

“It’s not like she’s a virgin, everything doesn’t need to be special,” Ethan counted and shut the trunk of a car.

“She is, Ethan and you just mortified her beyond all belief,” Cole sighed loudly.

“Madi’s a virgin?” Ethan breathed out in disbelief.

Madi walked out into the clearing and ran her hand through her hair.

“Yeah, I’m a virgin, what of it?” Madi spoke up and crossed her arms. 

“Are you okay?” Cole walked over to her slowly.

“Besides being utterly mortified, I’m fine,” Madi sighed quietly. “I really need a drink.”

“I’m sorry Madi,” Ethan sighed as he walked over to Madi. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“You better,” she smirked at Ethan slowly which made him relax slowly. “You can start by getting me a drink.”

“As you wish birthday girl!” Ethan bowed dramatically before going to his car.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cole asked quietly and brushed her hair behind her ear. 

“Just mortified,” she mumbled quietly and moved closer to him.

“I love you,” he leant down and kissed her slowly.

“I love you too,” she whispered against his lips. “Can we go to Vegas now?”

“Fuck yeah we can!” He chuckled and threw her over his shoulder before slapping her ass. “To Vegas!” she laughed and carried her to the other side of the clearing. “Come on Ethan! We’re going to Vegas!” 

“Why are we going to Vegas?” Ethan asked confused as he walked over with three beers.

“So I can marry this hot piece of ass before someone steals her when we get to college,” Cole chuckled and slapped her ass again making her giggle loudly.

“Are you kidding?” Ethan mumbled in shock.

“No, Madi has the hottest ass I’ve ever seen,” Cole deadpanned, slapping her ass again and grabbed it.

“The getting married part?” Ethan mumbled again still in shock.

“He’s kidding,” Madi answered and tried to pull the back of her dress down as it rose up. “Cole, my dress is coming up.”

“I, for one, am enjoying the view,” Ethan commented and Cole immediately put her down.

“Mine,” he growled and kissed Madi slowly as he pulled her close.

“We’re here bitches!” Nicole, one of Ethan’s frequent hook-ups, shouted out of the window of her car as she parked her car that was packed full of people.

“Alright, let’s get shitfaced,” Madi smirked and took the beer off Ethan.

  
\-------------------------- 

  
Madi barely knew anyone that had come for her birthday, she recognised them from school but that was about it. She stayed close to Cole for the majority of the night. She sat between Cole’s legs with her back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her.

Madi was quiet as she stared at the fire, she wasn’t feeling in the best mood. The embarrassment from earlier coming back to haunt her. She wanted to hide every time she heard someone laugh or someone looked at her. The alcohol was making all of the feelings come back. 

“Your shaking, what’s wrong?” Cole pulled her closer and whispered in her ear.

“I’m fine,” Madi whispered. “Just tired, I’m going to go lay down for a bit.”

Madi got up slowly and walked to Cole’s car. She opened the trunk of the car slowly. Cole had laid down the back seats of his car and put the mattress from earlier in the back for them to sleep on tonight. She crawled into the back and curled up slowly. 

“Madi,” Cole whispered as he crawled into the back, pulling her into his arms. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” she whispered and buried her head into his chest. “I just want to forget.”

“I’m sorry baby,” He kissed the top of her head. “This was supposed to be perfect.”

“I’m just embarrassed,” she whispered. “I just want to sleep.”

Cole sat up and pulled down the trunk door to shut it. Madi watched Cole as he pulled the blanket from the corner of the trunk. 

“Cole?” Madi’s voice cracked as she watched him.

“Yeah?” He looked back at her as he spread the blanket out. 

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled quietly.

“Why are you apologising?” He frowned as he laid down, putting the blanket over them.

“For being like this,” She whispered as he turned on his side watching her. 

“No don’t you dare apologise,” he whispered and stroked her cheek gently.

“We should just get it over and done with,” She mumbled with a sigh.

“Hell no, this is your first time Madi,” he frowned slowly and ran his hand through his hair. “I want to make sure you remember it properly and enjoy it.”

“Aren’t you sick of waiting?” She sighed watching him. “Honestly, how long have you had to wait to sleep with the other girls you’ve dated?” Her voice was growing frustrated.

“No I’m not sick of waiting,” his voice softened and he stroked her cheek gently. “You’re not like any of those girls, I love you and I’d wait a lifetime for you.”

She closed her eyes slowly and let his touch soothe her, calming her emotions.

“Madi, you mean more to me than anything,” he kissed her slowly before pulling away pressing his forehead to her. “Feeling better?”

“You make everything better,” She smiled relaxed and kissed him slowly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiled against her lips and kissed her again. 

There was a long silence between them, their foreheads pressed against each others and Cole was still gently stroking Madi’s cheek.

“Every fibre of my being loves you, Madi,” Cole whispered. “And I’m serious about wanting to marry you. I can’t imagine my life without you, Madi.”

“I love you, Cole,” Madi whisper and put her hand on his cheek. “And you’re going to have to put up with me for the rest of your life.”

“So you’re gonna marry me?” He raised his eyebrow slowly.

“One day,” she smirked and kissed him slowly.

“Does my sexy birthday girl want to fool around?” He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. 

Before she could answer, he had crawled under the blankets and between her legs. She moaned in anticipation when pulled her panties off. He delved his tongue into her and she moaned loudly.

“Cole,” she whimpered loudly.

He moved his mouth to take her clit into his mouth and started to suck gently. He teased her entrance with the tip of his finger making her shiver under his touch. She moaned loudly when he slowly pushed his finger into her. She could feel herself tighten around him as he pumped his finger inside her.

“Shit,” She threw her head back and moaned loudly. 

Cole sucked on her clit harder making her whole body shake and she lurched forward as her hands balled up in the blanket. He inserted another finger into her and picked up the pace. Madi bit her lip to muffle her moan as she felt herself build up. She tipped over the edge when he sucked on her clit hard and flicked his tongue over her clit. Her whole body shook with her orgasm and she whimpered. 

Madi felt dizzy and satisfied as she came down from her orgasm. Cole emerged out of the blankets with a triumphant smirk as he laid next to her.

“I fucking love watching you cum,” Cole spoke loudly with a smirk.

“Me too!” A guy from the football team spoke up as he knocked on the window. 

“Fuck off!” Cole growled and shielded Madi.

“Was I too loud?” Madi asked quietly as she looked at him with a small laugh. 

“I was too loud,” Cole relax when he realised Madi was relaxed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, they didn’t see anything,” she whispered and kissed him slowly.

Cole moaned to the kiss as he turned and pulled her on top of him. Madi pulled back with a smirk before disappearing under the blankets. She freed him from his jeans and immediately took him into her mouth. She could hear him moan loudly as she squeezed the base of his hard member and started bobbing her head at a steady pace. She hummed as she took him deeper into her mouth, deep throating him.

“Fuck Madi,” He moaned loudly, putting his hand under the blanket and laced his fingers into her hair.

Madi picked up the pace and hummed more as she kept going. She could feel him pulse in her mouth and she knew he was close to cumming. She moaned loudly, sending vibrations down his shaft causing him to moan loudly and pulse more as she squeezed his base.

“Fuck,” He groaned loudly and erupted in her mouth.

Madi slowly started to swallow his cum and had successfully swallowed all of his cum. She slowly flicked her tongue over the tip of him before she slowly crawled back to lay next to him.

“Happy birthday baby,” Cole whispered and kissed her slowly.

“I love you,” she mumbled against his lips.

“I love you too,” he whispered when he pulled away from the kiss.

Cole pulled her into his arms and settled down to sleep. Madi felt herself start to drift off in Cole’s arms almost immediately.

  
\----------------------------- 

  
Madi woke up alone in Cole’s car and she couldn’t find her phone. She had no idea where Cole was or what the time was. Madi groaned slightly as her head started to pound. She laid back down and will herself to fall asleep again. 

Madi woke up again to somebody pulling her close and kissing her temple.

“Good morning baby,” Cole whispered and pulled her close.

“Where were you?” Madi groaned quietly and turned around to face him.

“Getting breakfast,” Ethan’s voice made Madi sit up to see him sitting cross-legged on near the trunk door.

Ethan moved to sit next to Madi and opened the brown paper bag. He started to take the Styrofoam boxes out of the bag.

“We’ve got chicken and waffles, bacon, eggs and most importantly coffee,” Ethan smiled slowly and passed Madi a cup of coffee. “I’m sorry I was an asshole yesterday, forgive me Madz?” He offered his arms out for a hug.

“You’re forgiven,” Madi hugged Ethan slowly. “Thanks for breakfast.” 

“I got breakfast too, how do you think he knew what hangover food you like?” Cole spoke up making Madi pull away from Ethan and turn to him.

“Thank you, honey,” Madi smiled and kissed Cole slowly.

“I for one am ready for the three of us to tear up Arkadia,” Ethan smirked and raised his coffee.

“They won’t know what hit them,” Cole smirked widely looking between Madi and Ethan.

“The unholy trinity,” Ethan proclaimed and raised his coffee, the others joined in on the cheers. “Are your parents driving you guys?”

“Mine are following behind, my car is going to be packed pretty full because I’ve got to pack everything for the studio as well,” Madi explained and took a long sip of her coffee.

“My mom is driving with me but my dad’s following,” Cole spoke quietly and opened one of the boxes of food.

“Mine are dead set on checking out everything, the dorm room, the common areas, everything,” Ethan explained as he started to eat. “Who’s your roommate?”

“Some girl named Cali, I really hope she isn’t a bitch,” Madi sighed quietly and ran her hand through her hair.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Cole tried to reassure and kissed her forehead.

“If she’s a bitch, I’m just going to hide out in my studio,” She mumbled and grabbed a piece of bacon out of Cole’s box.

“Hey,” Cole frowned deeply at her.

“People who love each other share their bacon,” She countered with a smile. “I can’t marry you if you can’t share your bacon with me.”

“Then we won’t get married,” Cole shrugged nonchalantly and went back to eating. “I’m not sharing my bacon.”

“Fine by me,” she shrugged slowly. “I’ll just find someone else who’ll share their bacon with me.”

“I’ll share my bacon,” Ethan smirked widely, knowing it would shit stir his friend. 

“Madi,” Cole growled and offer her his bacon again.

“No I don’t want it now,” Madi smirked which made Cole roll his eyes.

“I hate you,” Cole groaned loudly.

“Nope, you love me,” She laughed and kissed Cole’s cheek.

“You two are dorks,” Ethan laughed and shook his head.

  
\---------------------------------------- 

  
Madi stood in her bedroom packing her clothes, she was leaving in the morning and had procrastinated on finishing packing. She sighed as she tried to decide what clothes to take, she knew she could always come back to pick up some more. 

“Madi?” Minerva’s voice echoed as she knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Madi called out and put the t-shirt she was folding into the suitcase.

Minerva opened the door and walked in slowly. Minerva looked down and her hands fiddled nervously.

“What’s up?” Madi looked at her little sister slowly.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a bitch all summer,” Minerva mumbled and wiped her eyes. “I’ve lost my sister because I wanted to be popular.”

“You haven’t lost me, Mini,” Madi sighed quietly and walked over to her little sister. “You have been a bitch but you haven’t lost me, Mini. You’re always going to be my sister.”

Madi pulled Minerva into a hug and let her little sister cry into her chest. Madi just held onto Minerva tightly, rubbing her back gently.

“I just wanted people to like me and everyone likes Sophie so I thought if I was friends with her then people would like me,” Minerva sobbed loudly. “When Cole started showing interest in you, Sophie wouldn’t be friends with me unless I made you stay away from Cole.”

“Mini,” Madi sighed loudly and pulled back, making her sister look at her. “People like Sophie are exactly the type of people you need to stay away from. She manipulates people and she tried to do that with Cole, she’s lost all of her friends because of it.”

Madi led Minerva to come to sit on the bed slowly and held her sister’s hands.

“You’ve just got to be yourself, Mini,” Madi squeezed Minerva’s hands gently. “If people don’t like you for who you are, then they don’t deserve you, Mini.” She gave her a smile. “You have Jordan, Theo and Taylor. They’re always going to be there for you and they’ll always have your back.”

“I really hurt mom when I told her Echo wasn’t as big of a bitch as her,” Minerva started to cry. “And dad’s face when he found out I’ve seen her.”

“Apologise to them, they love you Mini,” Madi sighed quietly. “They know you’re just being a teen full of angst. Echo is a tough subject for Mom and Dad.”

“Why? They’ve never told me anything that she’s done, they’ve just said she isn’t a good person,” Minerva sighed quietly.

“Echo was an abusive person, she abused Dad. Push him around and degrade him.” Madi brushed her sister’s hair out of her face. “She really messed dad up for a long time. Dad broke up with her when she was pregnant with you after she dislocated my shoulder because I came into Dad’s room. She signed away her rights when you were born, she didn’t want to be your mom.” Madi took a deep breath. “Mom was your mom as soon as he brought you home, she fed you like you were her own and loved you just the same.”

“I’ve been an asshole,” Minerva sobbed and Madi pulled her into a tight hug.

“It’s okay, Mini, we all make mistakes. The important thing is that you learn from it,” Madi pulled back and smiled at her sister. “Screw packing, let's go get thick shakes and hang out for a bit.”

“I love you Madi,” Minerva whispered.

“I love you too Mini, let’s go,” Madi smiled and got up off the bed, grabbing her keys from her bedside table.

  
\------------------------------------------- 

Madi smiled as Cole brought them their milkshakes and fries. Minerva even smiled at Cole which made him relax.

“Thank you,” Minerva spoke quietly.

“Thanks,” Madi smirked as Cole leant down and gave her a quick kiss.

It was his last shift and it was a quiet night, which meant he was more daring to steal a kiss.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, drive safe,” Cole smiled slowly.

“You too,” Madi smirked and watched him walked away to get back to work. “We need to stop at Walmart on the way home,” she grabbed her shake and took a sip.

“Why?” Minerva frowned as started to eat their fries.

“I need to buy you and Jordan enough condoms to last you until I come back to visit,” Madi explained and sat back slowly. “I’m serious, Mini.”

“I know, I know,” Minerva sighed loudly. 

“You’ve got to make sure that you’re using them and taking your pill at the proper times,” Madi spoke firmly. “You’ve got to be careful, Mini. Getting pregnant will change your life forever, please be careful.”

“Okay, okay I will,” Minerva rolled her eyes slowly. “Back to being the protective big sister.”

“I never stopped being the protective big sister,” Madi smirked and nudged her sister. “I may be away at college but I’m only a call away.”

“Thank you,” Minerva lurched forward and hugged Madi tightly.

Madi just held her sister tightly and kissed the top of her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Here's the new chapter!  
I hope you all had a good and safe christmas and new year.  
Any readers in Australia, like I am, I hope you and your families are safe.

It had been an eventful morning, Madi’s parents were supposed to be following her up to the campus but Julian and Augustus had both woken up really sick. Clarke and Bellamy insisted on still coming but Madi edged them to stay behind knowing the twins needed them more. Madi had taken the time saying goodbye to each family member before Madi started the couple hour drive to the college.

Madi had made it to the campus and checked in before her roommate arrived. Madi had started to unpack when Cole called.

“Hey Baby,” Cole spoke as soon as she picked up the phone. “We just got here, where are you?”

“I’m in my room, unpacking,” Madi smiled as she jumped up to sit on the bed. 

“I need to check-in and my parents want to help me set everything up but after that, I’ll come to see you,” The excitement in his voice was obvious and it made Madi smile wider.

“Yeah, take your time,” she smirked as she looked down.

“Alright, I’ll see you soon baby,” Cole spoke quietly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smirked and got off her bed as she hung up.

“Parents?” A female voice made Madi jump.

Madi turned on her heels to find a blonde girl that reminder her of Sophie. She had the same artificial blonde hair that was perfectly waved and the perfect makeup.

“Boyfriend,” Madi spoke quietly as she watched the other female. “I’m Madi.”

“Cali, I guess you’re the one I’m rooming with,” Cali spoke with a sigh as she examined Madi, up and down.

Madi knew immediately that Cali was judging her. Madi was wearing denim shorts and one of Cole’s old shirts. She was way dressed down compared to what Cali was wearing. Cali was wearing a short tight pink skirt and what looked like a cream camisole, starkly different to Madi.

“Can we switch beds?” Cali asked suddenly. “I like that bed a lot better.”

“Yeah no problem,” Madi just started to move her stuff because it wasn’t a big deal for her.

“I want the desk by the window,” Cali spoke up and picked up one of her bags, putting it on the desk.

Madi didn’t care honestly, she wasn’t going to be studying in here and she had already resided herself to the fact that was going to be only really sleeping here. 

Madi started to move her clothes to the other closet quietly. That’s when she noticed how much stuff Cali had as her parents started to bring more into the room.

  
\---------------------------------- 

  
After a few hours, the room was predominately overtaken by Cali’s belongings and Madi just had a few things on her desk. Madi was kneeling on her bed sticking up photos when a knock at the open door drew Cali’s attention.

“Hey there, you look lost,” Cali spoke in a sickening flirty voice.

“Hi, I’m here to see Madi,” Cole’s voice made Madi turn with a small smile.

Madi got off her bed slowly and readjusted her shirt.

“I’m Cali, what’s your name?” Cali tried to turn the attention back to her. “Are you Madi’s brother?”

“I’m Cole, Madi’s boyfriend,” Cole explained as Madi walked over to him slowly. “Hey Baby,” He smirked and kissed Madi slowly. “I missed you,” he mumbled against her lips.

“Hey, I missed you too,” Madi pulled back from the kiss slowly. 

“I wanted to see if you want to check out my room and then maybe go explore the campus a bit?” He smiled and ran his hand down her back.

“Yeah let’s go,” she smiled and gave him another kiss. 

Madi grabbed her phone from her desk before walking over to him. Cole wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her down the hall.

“She reminds me of Sophie,” Cole muttered and shivered.

“Me too,” Madi mumbled and leaned in closer to Cole. “What floor are you on?”

“I’m on the fourth floor, so just one floor up,” He smiled as he led her up the stairs. “Ethan has pretty much set up our room, he got here two hours before I did.”

“Cali came in and asked me to switch beds with her like two seconds after she came in,” She sighed quietly as they reached the top of the stairs.

“God she is going to be a handful and a half,” Cole groaned as he weaved them passed luggage and people moving in. “My bed is always open.”

“Sounds good to me,” She smirked up at him as he led her into the room.

“Madi!” Ethan shouted and tackled Madi into a hug.

“I saw you yesterday,” Madi laughed and hugged Ethan back. 

“Hey man, come on that’s my girlfriend,” Cole groaned loudly as Ethan hugged Madi tighter.

“He shares his bacon with me, he can hug me all he wants,” Madi stuck her tongue out at Cole.

“You gotta share the bacon man,” Ethan smirked and pulled back from the hug. 

“Alright let me look around,” Madi smiled and walked inside slowly. 

Madi looked around at the basic room, it was decorated simply with a few posters. Madi smiled when she saw a framed picture of her and Cole from the first party he took her to. Cole was whispering in her ear and Madi was blushing with a shy smile.

“Where did you get this?” Madi smiled at looked at Cole.

“Nicole took it, she thought it was cute,” Cole explained as wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re so beautiful in this picture,” he whispered.

“God you guys are sickly cute,” Ethan grimaced and Cole pulled away from Madi.

“How about we go check out the food hall? I’m starving,” Madi suggested as she stretched.

“Let's go,” Cole smiled slowly and grabbed his wallet. “Isn’t that my shirt babe?” he raised his eyebrow at Madi.

“Yup, I stole it,” She smirked as they started to walk out of the room.

“Looks better on her anyway,” Ethan chuckled loudly and earned a punch in the arm from Cole. “You can’t stop the unholy trinity!” 

Ethan picked Madi up over his shoulder and carried her down the stairs.

“Ethan!” Madi giggled loudly.

“Ethan!” Cole growled as he chased Ethan down the stairs. 

“Okay, okay put me down,” Madi laughed when they made it to the ground floor.

Ethan put her down and she pulled her shirt down. 

“Unholy trinity,” Madi smirked and high-fived Ethan before turning to Cole. “Honey?”

“Unholy trinity,” Cole high fived Madi before rolling his eyes.

“Now we just got to get drunk and have a threesome together to seal the deal,” Ethan proclaimed with an evil smirk.

“No,” Cole growled as Madi pushed Ethan.

“I’m kidding,” Ethan laughed as they walked towards food hall.

“You’re going to give Cole a heart attack,” Madi laughed loudly.

“Cole!” An excited female voice made Cole stop in his tracks and turn back.

Madi turned back to skinny girl with waist-length straight red hair jumping up and wrapping her legs around Cole’s waist. Cole’s arms instinctively wrapped around the girl when she hugged him tightly.

“Um, who is climbing Cole like a tree?” Madi frowned as she whispered to Ethan.

“Her name is Rachel, they met at an information retreat for future med students just after he broke up with Sophie,” Ethan whispered. “They were crazy about each other; Cole would drive four hours to see her every weekend. Then three weeks before summer they just stopped.”

“I can’t believe you got in!” The girl pulled back slightly. “I’ve missed you.”

Madi’s frown grew deeper when the redhead kissed Cole.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” the redhead hugged Cole tightly again, her legs still firmly hooked around his waist.

“Rachel,” Cole stuttered and moved his hands to unhook her legs from his waist. “This is my girlfriend, Madi,” he stuttered awkwardly.

“Girlfriend huh?” Rachel raised her eyebrow slowly. “I think we need to talk, privately,” she spoke through her teeth.

“It was nice to meet you, Rachel,” Madi mumbled quietly before turning to Cole. “Ethan and I will go ahead, you can catch up.”

Cole’s eyes pleaded with Madi as he rubbed his chest with his fist, using the sign for I’m sorry. Madi just signed back that it was fine before turning to Ethan.

The walk to the food hall was quiet and Ethan remained quiet while they got their food. Madi could tell that Ethan wanted to ask her about what just happened.

“Go on,” Madi spoke up when they sat down.

“Are you pissed at him?” Ethan asked quietly.

“What he did before we were together doesn’t bother me,” She sighed quietly and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. “But he let her climb him like a tree and kiss him, there was plenty of time for him to react but he didn’t.” 

“Are you okay?” He frowned slowly and started to pick at his food.

“I shouldn’t be talking to you about this,” She shook her head firmly. “He’s your best friend.”

“I’m your friend too,” his frown grew deeper. 

“But happens if Cole and I get into a fight or break up?” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “You’d be stuck in the middle.” 

“Madi, you and Cole aren’t going to break up,” he spoke firmer.

“You don’t know that,” she shook her head slowly.

“I know that you two are crazy for each other,” he sat up and watched her intently.

“You just said that about Cole and Rachel,” she frowned sitting back.

There was a long awkward silence between them as they ate. Madi sighed when she saw Cole walking in with Rachel, who looked significantly happier than when Madi and Ethan left them. The sat down next to each other at the table. 

“I think I’m going to go set up my studio,” Madi mumbled, standing up, grabbing her tray.

“Madi,” Cole stood up and grabbed her arm after she dumped her tray at the cleanup station behind their table.

‘Stop’ Madi signed with a frown. 

‘Please’ Cole signed with pleading eyes.

‘No, I’m pissed’ Madi signed with a deep frown, knowing he would only just be able to understand her. ‘You let her climb up you and kiss you’.

He reached out to her again but she pulled away.

‘Stop, just stop’ she signed and shook her head. 

Madi shook her head and walked out of the building.

  
\--------------------------------------------- 

  
Madi sat on her bed while Cali sat at her desk doing her makeup so she could go to a party. Madi got her laptop out and face timed Raven. She didn’t know what to do or what to think really. All she knew was that she was upset. Raven was the one to call if she needed something fixed because Raven was logical. Octavia was the person to call if you needed to be told something straight without sugar-coating it. Harper was the aunt to call if you needed comfort. All of her aunts brought something different to the table but they all loved her and that was the main thing.

‘My roommate is next to me, she’s an ease dropper’ Madi signed as soon as Raven answered.

‘How was your first day at college?’ Raven smiled widely.

‘Horrible,’ Madi bit back tears.

‘What happened?’ Raven frowned deeply.

‘Ethan, Cole and I were walking to the food hall when this girl called out to Cole. All of a sudden she had climbed him like a tree. She was talking about missing him and then she kissed him. He didn’t do anything, he let her kiss him.’ She was signing really fast her emotions getting the best of her.

‘Woah, Woah, stop, take a deep breath,’ Raven frowned slowly. 

‘What am I supposed to do?’ Madi sighed quietly. ‘Cole let her kiss him, spoke with her alone and then walked back inside with her like nothing ever happened.’

‘Maybe Cole was in shock, he wouldn’t expect someone to come and kiss him. He probably talked to her and explained everything to her,’ Raven was making a lot of sense.

‘What do I do Birdie?’ Madi sighed pushing her hair behind her ear. 

‘Go for a drive with him and talk to him,’ Raven gave her a small smile. ‘You’ll figure it out, babe. Now go talk to him and text me tomorrow.’

‘I love you Birdie,’ Madi relaxed more.

‘I love you too Madz, now go talk to your man,’ Raven smiled and hung up.

Madi shut her laptop and got off her bed, earning a glare from Cali. Madi walked out of the room and silently made her way upstairs to Cole’s room. She knocked on the door quietly and the door flung open almost instantly.

“Madi?” Cole’s voice broke as he whispered, Madi could tell Cole was upset. “I’m sorry Madi, I was in shock and I should’ve reacted faster.”

“Can we go for a drive?” Madi asked quietly. “We could go to Walmart and get gummy bears.”

“Yeah,” he relaxed visibly.

Madi craved his touch and hugged him immediately. Cole immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he held her tighter.

“We need to talk about this,” She whispered and pulled away from the hug. 

“Yeah,” He nodded slowly and watch her hug herself.

“Madi,” Rachel’s voice made Madi turn around slowly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise Cole was dating someone when I literally jumped him.”

Madi didn’t know what to do, she suddenly felt even more uncomfortable and she wanted to go hide.

“Please Madi, let me explain,” Rachel stepped closer to Madi. “Cole and I had a fling for a little while, one weekend Cole said that he needed to stop it. He said we were better as friends than being together. We decided that we shouldn’t see each other for a while and that eventually, we’d hang out again as friends. When I saw him today, all of my feelings came back and I reacted.”

Madi looked between Cole and Rachel nervously. Madi looked down and wrapped her arms around herself more.

“This wasn’t Cole’s fault; this was 100% my fault. When we talked, Cole explained everything and I feel like such a bitch.” Rachel sighed quietly. “Can we please start over?”

“Yeah,” Madi spoke quietly and looked up at her.

“Hi I’m Rachel, it’s nice to meet you,” Rachel smiled and extended her hand out to Madi.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Madi,” Madi shook Rachel’s hand gently.

“I’m going to go and let you guys talk but maybe we could meet up for coffee and get to know each other?” Rachel asked nervously.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Madi smiled slowly and watched Rachel relax slowly.

“I’m on the third floor in room 330,” Rachel smiled widely.

“I’m on the same floor in room 313,” Madi felt so much more relaxed now.

“I can come by some time or Cole has my number,” Rachel smiled before she turned and disappeared down the hall.

Hearing both sides made Madi feel more relaxed about the whole situation. She turned to Cole slowly who looked more relieved than before.

‘I love you’ Madi signed to Cole which made him smile instantly.

‘I love you too’ Cole signed back slowly with a smile.

Cole leant down and kissed Madi gently as he pulled her into his arms.

“Let’s go get snacks and explore,” Cole smiled slowly.

“Don’t you want to go to the welcome party?” Madi raised her eyebrow at him slowly.

“I do but I think we both need to spend the night together,” Cole explained quietly.

“Let’s go to the party, we can meet some new people. I know you want to,” She spoke quietly, taking his hand and squeezing it.

“I fucking love you,” he leant down and kissed her slowly. 

“I love you too,” She smiled slowly and kissed him again. “I better go get ready.”

“You look perfect,” he smiled slowly and pulled her closer. “Come inside with me,” he kissed her temple.

“If we’re going to the party I need to get changed,” she mumbled as he pulled her into his room.

“You can get changed in a few minutes,” he spoke in a husky voice as he picked her up, guiding her legs around his waist. 

Cole kicked the door shut and drew Madi into a hungry kiss as he carried her over to the bed. Madi surrendered herself to the kiss and let him lay her down on the bed. Cole climbed on top of her and deepened the kiss as his tongue parted her lips gently.

“Keep it in your pants!” Ethan announced loudly as he shut the door. 

Cole sighed as he rolled off Madi, sitting up slowly and running his hand down his face. 

“I’m glad you two aren’t fighting anymore,” Ethan smirked slowly as he watched Madi sit up slowly. “It’s like being a kid torn between divorcing parents.”

“I shotgun custody in the divorce,” Madi smirked and stuck her tongue out at Cole.

“You can have him on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sunday,” Cole countered with a smirk. 

“Alternating Saturdays,” she smirked and held out her hand to Cole.

“Deal,” Cole shook her hand with a smirk.

“See custody is sorted, you don’t need to worry your little head about it Ethy,” she got off the bed and hugged a reluctant Ethan. “Alright, I need to go get changed for this party.”

“Make sure you wear something hot,” Ethan smirked slowly. “Cole deserves to be jealous after today. Wear what you wore to the first party Cole brought you to.”

“Luckily I packed that,” Madi laughed and walked out of the room.

  
\---------------------------- 

  
Madi walked through the party as Cole and Ethan became engrossed by a game of beer pong. She walked over to the keg and started to pour herself a beer.

“Madi, just the person I was looking for,” Rachel smiled as she walked over to Madi. 

“Hey Rachel,” Madi smiled slowly.

“I needed to apologise again for today, I feel so horrible about it,” Rachel frowned slowly and Madi could tell she was a little drunk.

“Rachel, stop, we started over,” Madi reassured quietly. 

“Can we go talk?” Rachel frowned slowly.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded and followed Rachel outside.

They sat down on the stairs in the cool night air.

“I don’t even know what to say except I’m sorry,” Rachel mumbled and dipped her head.

“Stop please,” Madi sighed quietly and rubbed the back of her neck. “I think we could be friends if you stopped damn apologising,” Madi smirked at the redhead.

“Well we’ve both slept with Cole, so what else do we have in common?” Rachel laughed quietly.

“We don’t have that in common,” Madi shook her head slowly. “Cole and I haven’t slept together yet.”

“What?” Rachel snapped her head towards Madi. “How long have you been dating?”

“Almost three months,” Madi spoke with a quiet laugh.

“And you guys haven’t slept together?” Rachel frowned confused.

“No, not yet,” Madi shook her head slowly. 

“How have you not had sex yet?” Rachel stared at Madi with a slacked jaw.

“We just haven’t yet,” Madi shrugged slowly.

“You’re a virgin?” Rachel frowned deeper. “I never thought Cole would wait so long.”

“He’s been amazing like that,” Madi whispered and ducked her head slowly.

“I would kill to have someone look at me the way he looks at you,” Rachel sighed loudly and nudged Madi. 

“I can be your wing woman,” Madi suggested with a small smirk. “We’ll find your person.”

“And here comes your person,” Rachel smiled as Cole came outside and walked down the stairs to stand in front of Madi.

“There’s my beautiful wife,” Cole smirked and leant forward to kiss Madi.

“Uh-uh there’s no ring on this finger,” Madi turned her head so he couldn’t kiss her.

“I’ll change that,” he smirked, grabbing her chin so he could kiss her.

  
“You’re drunk,” Madi laughed and kissed him before watching him sit on the stairs between her legs.

“Rachel, did you know my Madi is an amazing artist?” Cole leant back against Madi’s chest and looked at Rachel.

“No I didn’t,” Rachel laughed and shook her head. 

“She paints, has her works in a fancy studio in New York,” he waved his arms about dramatically.

“You must be very proud of her,” Rachel smirked watching Cole.

“She’s so amazing,” he smiled happily as he rubbed Madi’s legs. 

“I haven’t seen you drunk like this before,” Rachel laughed loudly.

“Today has been a killer of a day,” Cole sighed loudly and threw his head back. “Getting drunk was exactly what I needed.”

“I know,” Rachel laughed quietly. “But at least we all came out of it in one piece.”

“Exactly,” Madi laughed and combed her fingers through Cole’s hair. “Where’s Ethan?”

“Trying to find someone to wet his whistle,” Cole sighed quietly and closed his eyes slowly. “I wish I could wet my whistle,” he tilted his head and smirked at Madi causing her to shake her head.

“I’m hungry,” Rachel announced.

“Me too, we could order pizza,” Madi suggested quietly. 

“And go back to the dorm, the common room would be empty,” Rachel suggested.

“I don’t want to go,” Cole pouted as he tilted his head back to look at Madi. 

“You don’t have to, Rachel and I could walk back to the dorms together,” Madi explained and continued to run her fingers through his hair.

“Are you sure?” Cole watched Madi slowly.

“Yeah,” Madi explained and kissed him gently. 

“I’ll come to your room when I get back?” he asked quietly.

“I’d like that,” Madi smiled before moving to get up with Rachel.

“I love you,” He whispered as he got up and pulled Madi into a kiss. 

“I love you too,” Madi whispered before turning to walk away with Rachel.

  
\-------------------------- 

  
Madi was surprised by how well she got along with Rachel. They had stayed up for a few hours in the common room, eating pizza and talking. Madi had met Cole on her way back to her room and he was significantly drunker than when she left him. Madi woke up to Cali slamming the door and Cole groaning as he rolled off the bed. Madi sighed and sat up slowly. 

“Hey Cole,” Cali smirked as she ogled Cole.

Cali’s eyes were dancing over Cole’s bare muscular chest and down to where his boxers were hanging low on his hips.

“Hi,” Cole half groaned and ran his hand down his face. “Baby, let’s go get breakfast.”

“Yeah,” Madi nodded and got off the bed.

Madi grabbed a change of clothes as Cole put his clothes on and they walked out of the room to escape the awkwardness from Cali. Cole went upstairs to get dressed while Madi got changed. Madi dumped her clothes in her hamper before grabbing her phone and heading to the stairs. 

“Let's go, I need coffee,” Madi half groaned as Ethan and Cole down the stairs.

“Madz, this is Rhea,” Ethan gestured to the girl next to him, who’s mascara had smeared under eyes slightly.

“Hi,” Madi forced a smile at the girl before turning back to Cole. “Let’s go,” she grumbled.

“Come on, baby,” Cole chuckled slightly and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple. “We’ll get you coffee.”

They were quiet as they made their way to the food hall for breakfast. Madi rested her head against Cole’s chest as they walked. It was only nine in the morning and she didn’t get as much sleep as she wanted. Madi separated from Cole as soon as they entered the food area. Madi immediately collected the food she wanted and the coffee she craved desperately. She checked out and walked to the table the boys had claimed.

“What did you guys get up to last night?” Madi asked quietly as she started to drink her coffee.

“We ended up meeting some guys from one of the frats,” Cole explained quietly as he picked up a piece of bacon to eat.

“We’re gonna pledge,” Ethan grinned widely. “If we get in, we’ll move into the frat house.” 

“Alpha Zeta Phi,” Cole explained and looked at Madi slowly.

“Pledging huh?” Madi raised her eyebrow slowly. 

“Yeah, they’re really nice guys,” Cole nodded slowly, slightly nervous.

“Should be interesting,” Madi smirked into her coffee before glancing at Cole to see him relax.

Rhea sat down opposite Madi with her tray that only had a few pieces of fruit on it and some water. Rhea narrowed her eyes at Madi’s tray as Madi ate. Madi had bacon, eggs, a hash brown and a pancake. Key hangover food.

“Do you realise how many calories that is?” Rhea spoke up making Cole and Ethan pause waiting for Madi’s reaction.

“Would you look at that,” Madi looked down at her food and then back up at Rhea. “I ran out of fucks to give,” Madi’s words made Rhea glare at her even more and the boys to laugh.

“You’re going to get fat fast eating like that,” Rhea muttered.

“If I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it,” Madi spoke through her teeth, too tired and hungover to deal with her.

“I think you should go,” Ethan spoke up as he furrowed his brow at Rhea.

“What?” Rhea looked at Ethan taken back.

“Go,” Ethan growled loudly. 

“I was just trying to help her,” Rhea tried to explain.

“You’re being a bitch, go,” Ethan nodded his head away. 

“But I thought we-,” Rhea stuttered but was cut off by Ethan.

“We are nothing,” Ethan cut her off before turning slightly. 

Rhea got up with her tray and awkwardly left as the other three went back to eating.

“I can’t stand girls being fucking bitches for no fucking reason,” Ethan sighed and sat back drinking his coffee.

“Me too,” Madi nodded slowly.

“You should’ve seen Cole last night after you left,” Ethan laughed and Cole dipped his head with an embarrassed laugh. 

“Oh god, what happened?” Madi laughed as she sat back slowly.

“So we’re just chilling, this girl decided to sit next to Cole and she was flirting hardcore. This girl put her hand on Cole’s chest and he looked at her like he had just been slapped,” Ethan laughed loudly. “He goes ‘Madi won’t like you touching me’, this chick was just confused as all heck and started to ask who Madi was. His dumb ass proceeds to loudly announce that you’re his wife and you’ll beat up this chick for touching him.”

“Oh god,” Madi pinched the bridge of her nose as she laughed. “Cole, you’re getting me into fights when I’m not even there.”

“He was so pompous, my wife this, my wife that,” Ethan snorted and poked his friend’s shoulder. “This chick dead ass kept trying to get with him.”

“You’re obsessed with calling me your wife,” Madi nudged Cole’s shoulder.

“Maybe it’s because we should just elope already,” Cole smirked at her as he took a long sip of his coffee.

“Not happening any time soon,” Madi shook her head slowly and went back to eating. “Nope.”

Cole leant in to kiss Madi but she dodged it with a smirk.

“Nope,” she shook her head slowly. “No kiss for you.”

Cole grabbed her chin and kissed her slowly. Madi pulled away and stuck her tongue out at Cole.

“If we get into Alpha Zeta Phi, we could apply for the double room, we just need to have our fees ready to go,” Ethan spoke up drawing the couple’s attention. “Otherwise we’ll be stuck in an 8 person room.”

“I have the money ready to go for it,” Cole spoke up and looked at Ethan.

“Perfect, it’ll be a better set up for us,” Ethan nodded slowly. “More privacy for us.”

“I support you two,” Madi smirked slowly. “I’ll step aside to let your love flourish.”

The two boys burst out laughing as Madi watched them amused.

“It finally makes sense why you want us to have a threesome,” Madi deadpanned.

“You’re a god damn smartass,” Cole smirked and kissed Madi slowly.

“That’s why you love me,” Madi smirked slowly and kissed him again.

“So what are we doing today?” Cole asked as he pulled away from the kiss.

“We should scope out the rest of campus,” Ethan suggested with a nod.

“I’ve got to buy my textbooks too,” Madi sighed and drank her coffee.

“Alright, explore campus and buy textbooks,” Cole sat back in his seat slowly. “We should do a trip to Walmart too.”

“Alright, let's finish eating and go,” Madi mumbled slowly and went back to eating. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys,  
Here's a new chapter!  
I hope you enjoy it!

Madi sorted her paints in the studio she was renting, she wanted to get everything organized before she got busy with her classes. She was still adjusting to college life and the fact that she was the polar opposite of Cole in her approach to college life. Cole was pledging a fraternity, jumping head-on into everything, Madi was supportive but more introverted. She was happy to be by his side at any event or party but she wouldn’t go for herself.

She jumped when someone pulled her earphones out of her ears.

“I’m sorry,” Cole chuckled and kissed the curve of her neck.

“Hey,” Madi relaxed as she turned to face him. “I thought you were busy today with your super-secret pledge task.”

“I was but I have a little break,” he smirked and gave her a gentle kiss. “How has your day been?”

“It’s been good, just trying to get this place organized before classes get busy,” she smiled as she pulled herself up to sit on the table. “How’s the pledging tasks going?”

“Pretty good, I think Ethan and I will be in if we nail this last task,” his fingers danced up the bare skin of her legs. “I feel like a shitty boyfriend this last couple of weeks, I’ve barely done anything with just us. I’ve just dragged you along to parties and been too busy for anything else.”

“You haven’t dragged me to the parties, I’ve wanted to come,” She draped her arms over his shoulders. “I like coming to parties with you and I know how important it is for you to get into Alpha Zeta Phi,” she gave him a small kiss. “Now what’s this special task that’ll get you in?”

“I have a favour to ask,” he bit his lip as he watched her.

“What’s that?” She raised her eyebrow with a small smirk.

“Well Ethan and I need to co-ordinate this mixer with one of the sororities tomorrow night,” he explained running his hands up her legs. “We thought it would be awesome to have a bar with custom cocktails but we don’t have the budget to hire a bartender. Then I remembered that I have a sexy girlfriend who can tend the hell out of a bar.”

“So you want me to bartend at this mixer?” She watched him slowly.

“Please? I’ll pay you back I promise,” he pleaded.

“I’ll do it,” she smirked slowly and hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

“Thank you,” he mumbled before pulling her into a deep kiss. “I’m sorry baby, I need to get back to the house to help Ethan.”

“Okay,” she sighed quietly. “I’ll drive to my Mom’s bar closer to the city and see if I can borrow some equipment.”

“Thank you, baby,” he gave her another gentle kiss. “I’ll see if Ethan can stay elsewhere tonight, so we can have the place to ourselves.”

“I was going to ask if I could stay over, Cali’s kicking me out for the night,” she brushed her hair out of her face.

“Can you buy the garnishes and mixers you need?” He pulled a hundred dollar note of his pocket.

“Yeah, I’ll drop them by the house,” she nodded slowly and took the money. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yeah, I love you,” he gave her another small kiss before walking towards the door.

“I love you too,” she sighed again quietly.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he spoke quickly before walking out.

Madi sighed getting off the table, she wished they could spend more time together but she understood that he had a lot on his plate. She was going to make sure that fraternity brothers were impressed by both Cole and Ethan.

—————————————————————

Madi crossed her arms across her chest as she made her way to Cole and Ethan’s dorm room. It was later than she expected because Cali had sent her a text to be out of the room by 9:00 pm. Madi had made some tea and waited on Cole to reply to her messages. By the time 10:30 pm had come around, she just wanted to get to bed because she had a class on the other side of campus at 8 am.

She knocked on the door slowly with a yawn, she frowned when she heard Ethan swearing and a female voice complaining. Ethan flung the door open and frowned deeply when he saw Madi.

“Is Cole here?” Madi mumbled quietly, it was a stupid question, he wasn’t here.

“He said he was crashing in your room,” Ethan frowned confused and Madi felt her heart sink.

“No, Cali kicked me out for the night and Cole said I could crash here,” She mumbled looking down. “Sorry I interrupted you.”

“Maybe he’s just at the library, I know he’s got a paper he’s trying to juggle with all of the pledge stuff,” he sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “You can still crash here.”

“It’s okay, I’ve got a couch in my studio I’ll just crash on,” she mumbled and hugged herself. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Madi turned on her heel and walked back down the hall. She stopped at the top of the stairs and sent Cole a text.

_ Madi: where are you? Ethan said that you told him you were staying in my room tonight. _

Madi sighed and walked down the stairs, out of the building. Her chest was aching painfully the whole drive to the studio. She wasn’t expecting the tears to start flowing when she pulled up at the studio. She grabbed her overnight bag she kept in her car and walked into the building.

Madi made it to the third floor where her studio was, she wiped her eyes and unlocked the door. She pushed the door open to find candles lighting the room. She wiped her eyes again as she looked around the room. The table that usually was in the middle of the room was pushed against the wall. In the middle of the room was a mattress and Cole setting up pillows and blankets.

“Cole?” Madi asked quietly, her voice cracking slightly.

“Surprise,” Cole smiled but immediately dropped it when he saw the tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?” He crossed the room towards her.

“You weren’t replying and then when I went to your room, Ethan said that you had told him you were staying in my room,” Madi felt stupid now as she pressed the fabric of her hoodie under her eyes.

“I forgot to tell him to tell you to come to the studio,” he sighed defeated as he pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I’m sorry I messed this up. I was trying to create a little romantic getaway.”

“I don’t even know why I was crying,” she mumbled as she buried her head in his chest.

“You probably thought the worst, I don’t blame you,” he spoke defeated as he held her tighter. “I messed up on things and it made it look like I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to do.”

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” she mumbled quietly. “I trust you, 100% but my mind just went there because the information just didn’t add up.”

“I don’t blame you, baby,” he whispered kissing the top of her head gently.

After a few moments, Cole let Madi out of his arms and let her properly look around the room. She stepped further into the studio and could see exactly what he had done. Besides the candles and the bed, there was a vase of red roses and condoms half hidden by the pillows on the bed. Madi now understood what his plan was and guilt washed over her, she had ruined this by jumping to conclusions.

“We can still-.” She started but he cut her off immediately.

“No, I want it to be perfect for you and this isn’t perfect,” he shook his head and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “It’s late, let’s just get to bed.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled and dipped her head again.

“Don’t be,” he turned her around and kissed her slowly. “Tonight wasn’t the right night anyway. Let’s get some sleep, you’ve got class early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she whispered and watched him walk over to the mattress.

—————————————

Madi felt weird in the Alpha Zeta Phi house when there wasn’t a party going on. She needed to be there to set up and prep everything well before the party started. She had dressed up a bit, Cole didn’t ask her to but she wanted to make sure everything in her control went off without a hitch. She was wearing one of the black crop tops her aunt O had bought her and short skater skirt that she had paired with a pair of black heeled boots. It was similar to the outfit that she had worn to her first party with Cole but in all black. She had braided half of her hair up into a bun and let the rest stay loose down around her back and chest.

“So you’re the bartender the boys managed to get?” A rough male’s voice made Madi look up from her prep work.

“Yeah, I’m Madi,” Madi smiled at the sandy-haired guy in front of her.

“Drew,” The male offered Madi his hand to shake and she shook it gently. “So what’s on the menu?”

“I have everything for the classic cocktails but I have three custom cocktails. The Alpha, The Zeta and the Phi,” She grabbed the small sign she had made after class to show Drew.

“I’ll take an alpha, sounds like my kind of drink,” Drew winked at her with a small smirk.

“Coming right up,” she immediately started to make the cocktail and within two minutes the whiskey and berry cocktail was ready. “There you go, one alpha.”

Drew looked at her sceptically as he took a sip of the drink before he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“That’s a damn good drink,” he smiled brightly and leant against the bar towards her. “Where did you learn how to make a drink like that?”

“My Mom owns a couple of bars, she had a couple of mixologists in over the years to show us some tricks of the trade,” she smiled and continued to chop up her garnishes.

“What bars does she own?” He watched her inquisitively.

“They are called the dropship, there’s one in the city and one in my hometown,” she explained quietly. “Then there’s the exclusive bar in the city, called TonDC.”

“No way, I’ve been to the dropship in the city,” his tone raised to a happier one. “I love that place. I’ve tried to find the TonDC bar a few times but I haven’t been able to yet.”

“It was my Pop’s idea to make it a secret bar, he owns it with my mom,” she finished chopping her garnishes and put them in their respective places. “I don’t even know where it is, it’s the best-kept secret.”

“You’re an interesting one, Madi,” he leant in closer over the bar.

“Ready to go Madi?” Ethan asked as he came into the room, carrying a keg with another guy.

“Yeah just need to drop the ice into the speedwell when it gets closer to the time,” she smiled at Ethan and pushed her hair behind her shoulders as Cole walked into the room with the keg gear.

“Where did you find this one? She can make a killer drink and doesn’t look bad doing it,” Drew winked at Madi before turning to guys.

Cole walked behind the bar slowly and put a protective arm around Madi’s waist.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Cole spoke firmly and pulled Madi into his side.

“Nice one,” Drew smiled at Cole slowly. “I’ll see you around Madi,” he smiled at Madi slowly, his gaze lingering on her as he grabbed his drink before walking out of the room.

“Condolences Cole,” one of the frat brothers spoke grimly.

“What’s going on?” Madi looked up at Cole with a deep frown.

“He has a thing for taking other brothers’ girlfriends,” Cole sighed quietly and rubbed his eyes slowly.

“And he just claimed you,” the frat brother spoke again in the same grim tone. “He usually claims his price a month after staking his claim.”

“I’m not a piece of meat,” Madi frowned deeply as she watched the frat brother.

“No you’re not, I’m Isaac,” the guy offered his hand to Madi to shake and she did.

“Madi,” She spoke quietly.

“I’ve watched him do it to a lot of the pledges over the years, brothers too.” Isaac sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s ruthless.”

“Ain’t happening,” She shook her head firmly.

“Most of the girlfriends say that in the beginning,” he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I’m not like most girls, trust me,” she raised her eyebrow slowly. “He’ll try and fail miserably.”

“This’ll be fun to watch,” Isaac perked up slowly before going back to set up the keg.

“I’m not worried,” Cole smirked and turned Madi to face him.

“Good,” She leant up and kissed him slowly.

\------------------------------------- 

Madi was tired, the party was dragging on and she was dealing with drunk assholes. By 3 am, Madi was running low on stock but the party was still going strong. 

“Can I get a Cosmo but sugar-free?” A girl with long blonde hair asked as she leant against the bar.

“I can only do a regular one,” Madi sighed wiping her hands on a tea towel.

“What can you do that’s sugar-free?” The girl frowned deeply.

“Gin and tonic or Vodka lime,” Madi got the cup ready, waiting for the girl to decide.

“Vodka lime,” the girl rolled her eyes and Madi started to make the drink.

The girl took her drink and walked away as Cole walked up to the bar with a smile.

“Hey baby,” Cole spoke slowly with a drunk smile.

“Hey, I’m starting to run out of stock,” Madi sighed quietly. “I might start packing up slowly.”

“Sounds good, thank you for doing this,” He smiled widely. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled slowly and started to make him another drink. “Try this,” she watched him take a sip.

“Magic,” he grinned. “Can you make a punch for after you close up the bar?”

“Yeah I’ll make a jungle juice, it’ll keep everyone happy,” She nodded slowly and watched as Ethan pulled Cole away.

Madi started making the jungle juice in the big drinks container that they had for punch. Drew walked behind the bar and leant against the wall as he watched Madi.

“Finishing up?” Drew’s voice made Madi turn to look at him.

“Yeah, I’m just making a punch to make people happy,” Madi explained as she continued to make the jungle juice.

“Think you could make me an alpha?” His voice had a smirk on it and Madi could feel his eyes on her.

“Yeah,” She made the drink fast and handed it to him.

“So are you going to hang around when you finish?” He smirked at her more.

“I might hang around for a bit,” she mumbled as she put the punch on top of the bar. 

“I could give you a tour of the house, if you hang around,” Drew smirked slowly as his eyes took in her appearance slowly. “I can show you the pretty epic set up we have in the attic.”

“I’m good thanks,” She shook her head slowly. “Isaac, Cole and Ethan showed me around before the party started. I know what the attic is for.”

Madi knew they had the attic set up for hookups for the frat council members. She knew what Drew was trying to do.

“We could have a little fun, what’s the harm?” he smirked and moved closer to her.

“I have a boyfriend, not going to happen,” She spoke firmly as she looked up at him.

“You won’t always have a boyfriend,” He moved closer to him. “I want you, Madi,” His hand reached up to touch her hair but Madi grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“I’m not interested,” she spoke firmly and moved his hand away from her. 

Madi turned back to the bar and started packing up the stuff that she had borrowed from her Mom’s bar.

“I’ll help you,” Drew offered as he picked up one of the boxes.

“I’m good thanks,” Madi took the box off him slowly.

Madi took the box off Drew and walked through the party where her car was parked outside the frat house. She put the box in her trunk before getting the second box. When she walked out of the party with the second box, Drew followed her out.

“Madi,” Drew started as Madi put the second box in her trunk.

“Yes?” Madi turned around to face Drew.

Drew moved closer to Madi, his hands went to touch her waist but Madi grabbed his hands to stop him.

“Don’t you understand the word no?” Madi scoffed and moved away from him. “I’m not interested.”

Madi shook her head as she shut her trunk and went back inside. Madi found Cole waiting at the bar for her.

“Drew bothering you?” Cole frowned deeply.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Madi reassured and gave him a long lingering kiss.

“I have some news,” He smirked as he held her close. “They loved the cocktails and the whole mixer, we’re in.”

“That’s fantastic,” She grinned and kissed him slowly. “I think I’m going to head off, I have a skype meeting with Vincent tomorrow about my exhibit.”

“Want me to come back with you?” He whispered and brushed her hair out of her face.

“No, stay here and celebrate,” she smiled slowly and gave him another kiss. “Let me congratulate you tomorrow when you’re sober,” she whispered in his ear.

“Can’t wait,” he drew her into a long kiss as he pulled her closer. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” She smiled slowly. “I see you tomorrow.” 

“Drive safe,” He gave her one last kiss before letting her go.

\------------------------- 

Madi made her way to Cole’s room just after lunch after her meeting. She had picked up coffee and bagels on her way back to the dorms from her studio. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a hungover Cole.

“Is that coffee?” Cole groaned as Madi walked in to find Cole was the only one there.

“And bagels,” Madi smirked over her shoulder at him while she put the coffee and bagels on his desk before handing Cole his coffee.

“I love you,” he half moaned as he took a sip.

“Are you talking to me or the coffee?” She laughed as she moved to sit on the bed.

“You, definitely you,” he put his coffee on the desk and moved to stand in front of her. “Do you know what I really want to do?”

His hands moved to unbutton her shorts and pulled them off with her panties in one swift movement. Before Madi could even react, Cole had delved his tongue into her. Madi moaned loudly and laced her fingers into his hair.

“Fuck,” Madi moaned as she bit her lip slowly. “Cole,” she whimpered as his thumb started to rub her clit.

Cole chuckled sending vibrations through her, making her cry out and pull his hair. 

“Fuck Cole,” Madi moaned as she laid back.

Cole moved to take her clit into his mouth, sucking it gently as he slipped two fingers into her. Madi felt herself build up and Cole sensed this and picked up the pace. The more she built up the more her back arched and her moans grew louder. Suddenly like an explosion Madi came, she lurched forward crying out.

“Fuck,” Madi breathed out as Cole straightened up, wiping the corners of his mouth.

“Exactly what I needed with my coffee,” Cole smirked and leant over to kiss her. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too,” she breathed out slowly and sat up slowly before slipping her shorts back on.

“Here drink your coffee,” He smirked and passed the other cup of coffee. “Before it gets cold.”

“What about you?” She frowned slowly, palming her cup of coffee.

“I’m fine, baby,” he kissed her cheek gently. “Besides I’d rather enjoy my coffee with the taste of you on my lips and Ethan’s due back any second.”

Cole got up on his bed and grabbed the bag of bagels. 

“So how did your meeting go?” he moved back so he was leaning against the wall.

“Vincent is moving my exhibit up, he wants to ride the hype. So he wants to go with my fifteen pieces that are already done and it’s in two weeks,” she breathed out with a happy smiled.

“Holy shit baby,” he kissed her slowly with a huge grin.

“Will you come to New York with me for it?” She asked quietly with a wide grin.

“Of course I will,” he smirked and kissed her again. “Supportive boyfriend all the way.”

“I’ll book our flights and hotel,” she smiled and kissed him gently.

“Sounds good,” he smirked slowly. “Are your parents coming?”

“Yeah and my grandparents, the others are going to wait until my big exhibition. Two weeks isn’t enough time to plan baby sitters and accommodation for them all,” she explained quietly and started to eat. “They’re all going to see the paintings before Lincoln sends them off.”

“I’m sorry that they can’t all come,” he frowned slightly as he watched her.

“It’s okay, this was unexpected,” she spoke quietly and rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Sup losers!” Ethan announced as he opened the door and sat upon his bed. “Last night was epic. Drew sulked all night after you left, Madi.”

“He doesn’t know when to stop,” Madi scoffed and shook her head. “It’s sad.” 

“Savage Madi,” Ethan laughed quietly. 

“Who’s bed did you end up in last night?” Cole smirked as he wrapped his arm around Madi.

“Some sorority girl’s bed,” Madi smirked and looked between the two guys. “With this girl and her best friend.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Ethan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Rachel’s bed actually.”

“Rachel?” Cole jolted forward with a deep frown and unwrapped his arm from Madi.

“Yeah, what of it?” Ethan shrugged slowly.

“Rachel?” Cole frowned deeper as he stared at his best friend. 

“How dare you sleep with the same girl Cole has slept with?” Madi spoke up with mock outrage.

“Babe,” Cole sighed and looked back at Madi. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Madi mumbled and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Well this is awkward,” Ethan announced, drawing both of their attention.

“I just didn’t expect to hear that you’ve slept with my ex,” Cole sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I didn’t know she was off-limits,” Ethan raised his hands up slowly.

“She isn’t, just didn’t expect it,” Cole relaxed slowly. “We’ve never dealt with sleeping with exes.”

“Well I mean technically you two are Eskimo brothers now,” Madi shrugged with a small laugh to lighten the mood. “Well Eskimo brothers, I’m off. I’m going to go paint.”

Madi got off the bed slowly and Cole grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” Cole looked genuinely sorry but Madi didn’t think he had anything to be sorry for.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” she gave him a slow, deep kiss. “Honestly, Cole, I get why you’re shocked. I didn’t expect Ethan to be able to get Rachel, he’s so punching above his weight with her.”

Cole burst out laugh and Ethan immediately started grumbling. Cole put his hands on each side of Madi’s face and drew her into a kiss before he started to laugh against her lips.

“I fucking love you,” he mumbled against her lips before she pulled slowly.

“I love you too,” she smiled and gave him another kiss. “I’ll see you later.”

\---------------------------------- 

Madi was only able to spend an hour at her studio before Rachel texted her asking to meet for coffee. Madi parked as close to the dorms as she could with the limited spots available. She started to walk across campus as she texted Rachel.

_ Madi: Hey I’m going to be about five minutes, parked at the dorms and walking over now. _

_ Rachel: All good, it’s busy as all heck in here, want me to order for you? _

_ Madi: Yeah just a black coffee. _

Madi had just sent her a reply when someone tapped her on her shoulder. Madi turned her head to see Drew walking beside her. It took all of Madi’s will not to roll her eyes.

“You don’t give up do you?” Madi mumbled as she kept her pace up.

“You have paint on your hands,” Drew smiled as he kept his pace up with her.

“Observant,” Madi raised her eyebrow at him.

“Are you an artist?” he continued to talk as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

“Yep,” Madi mumbled and walked faster, not wanting to talk to him.

“You should show me your work sometime,” he smirked as he matched her pace.

“Well you can pay to see it like everyone else in two weeks in Vincent Marsh gallery in New York,” She shot Drew a side-eye.

“Maybe I will come and see it, maybe we can grab dinner afterwards,” He smirked, making Madi stop dead in her tracks.

“I know you have this fetish of taking other guys girlfriends but it’s not going to work on me,” she crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’m not interested, get it through your head and stop. It’s just getting sad now.”

Madi shook her head slowly and kept walking but sighed when he caught up to her.

“What’s the difference between Cole and me?” Drew argued as he kept up with her fast pace.

“Cole knows when to drop it,” Madi shook her head slowly. “Stop following me.”

Madi walked into the coffee shop and found Rachel sitting at a table in the corner waiting for her. 

“Madi,” Drew followed Madi into the coffee shop.

“Goodbye Drew,” Madi rolled her eyes, sitting down as she kept her back to him. 

Madi heard Drew sigh before he walked away. Madi gave Rachel a tight smile as she picked up her coffee.

“So you’re the one Drew was sulking over last night,” Rachel smirked as she took a sip of her coffee.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Madi shook her head slowly. “You and Ethan huh?”

“Yeah,” Rachel laughed quietly and sat back in her chair. “Cole freak out when he found out?”

“He was more shocked than anything then he felt guilty for being shocked,” Madi rolled her eyes slowly. “He lightened up when I told him that they were Eskimo brothers.”

“How do you even know about that?” Rachel laughed quietly.

“I’m a virgin, not an idiot,” Madi rolled her eyes slowly. “I have used urban dictionary before.”

“So when are you and Cole going to seal the deal?” Rachel wiggled her eyebrows at Madi with a smirk.

“Well we’re going away in two weeks to New York,” Madi smiled, feeling her cheeks start to burn red.

“Let’s finish our coffee and we’ll go shopping, we can pick you up some sexy lingerie,” Rachel smirked slowly. “I might get something to wear from Ethan.”

“So you’re seeing him again?” Madi smirked slowly as she watched her new friend carefully.

“I like him and he asked me to hang out with him tonight,” Rachel started to blush slowly.

“Let’s go shopping then,” Madi smiled slowly and finished her coffee.

\------------------------ 

The only time Madi had been in Victoria’s secret was with her aunts when they insisted on getting Madi some decent bras. This time was different, they were after some more sexy items.

“I’m happy I saved my birthday money,” Rachel mumbled as she looked at the first rack. “What’s your limit so we don’t look at things over it?”

“I’m easy, I have a fair amount of savings from working all summer,” Madi shrugged slowly as she looked at the basic bras.

“I knew I should’ve worked over the summer,” Rachel sighed loudly. “We should get measured to be sure.”

Rachel led Madi to the change rooms slowly. Madi always hated getting measured she found it so god damn awkward. She walked out of the changed room and found Rachel waiting for her.

“I’m guessing you’re 32DD,” Rachel smirked slowly.

“32DDD,” Madi mumbled quietly as they walked back to the lingerie section.

“You got me well beat,” Rachel sighed quietly. “Madi, you need to get this.

Madi turned her head to the side as she examined the Black lace lingerie corset. Madi felt her phone started to vibrate with a call and she got it out.

“Cole’s calling, could you find my size?” Madi watched Rachel nod before she answered the phone. “Hey, honey.”

“Hey baby, are you still at the studio?” Cole’s voice made all the awkwardness go away.

“I’m shopping with Rachel,” Madi felt a smile grow on her lips slowly.

“Where at?” The smile in his voice made her smile more.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” She laughed quietly as she walked over to the table of panties and started to pick out different pairs.

“Baby, I have some bad news,” His voice turned serious and she frowned immediately.

“What?” She stopped going through the panties.

“I can’t come to New York, Ethan and I just got back from the Alpha house,” he sighed loudly. “We have a compulsory fundraiser, I tried to get out of it but I can’t. I’m so sorry Baby.”

“It’s okay, you need to be there,” she tried to keep her disappointment out of her voice.

“I’m sorry baby,” he spoke defeated.

“It’s fine, you can come to the next one,” she made her voice seem optimistic.

“Let me take you out for dinner,” he tried to make his voice perk up.

“Yeah, I’ll come by when I get back,” she looked down slowly.

“I love you,” he spoke quieter.

“I love you too,” she hung up slowly and turned to Rachel with a sigh. “There’s no point, Cole can’t come to New York.”

“I’m sorry Madi,” Rachel frowned slowly. “Let’s still get you some stuff. Get it for yourself, it’ll make you feel good wearing it.”

“I do really like this set,” Madi spoke quietly as she took the set of Rachel, the two shared a smile and it immediately lifted Madi’s mood a bit.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!
> 
> I hope you like this chapter!

Madi was beyond disappointed that Cole couldn’t come to New York. She didn’t want Cole to know how disappointed she was because she knew how defeated he felt because of it. She didn’t get to see him before she left because he had classes all day on Fridays. She wasn’t looking forward to spending the night by herself until her family arrived the next morning.

Madi got off her flight and went through security in a slump. She sighed as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and walked through the main arrivals section with her head low. She wanted this to be a romantic getaway with Cole and she wanted him by her side for the exhibition.

“Did you honestly think I was going to miss this?” Cole’s voice made Madi look around confused.

She turned around to find Cole standing behind her with a smirk. Madi walked over to him slowly and buried her head in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you,” Madi looked up at him before getting up on her toes to kiss him gently.

“I love you too,” he mumbled against her lips. “Do you like this surprise?”

“I love this surprise,” she grinned widely up at him.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” he smirked kissing her again. “Let’s go get a cab to the hotel and then go explore.”

“Sounds good,” Her smile grew even wider as she looked up at him.

  
\----------------------- 

  
Madi and Cole spent the day exploring New York before they decided to just order room service. They wanted a relax and just chill out knowing the next day was going to be full-on. They had ordered room service and watched a movie.

“I’ll be back,” Cole whispered and kissed Madi gently before rolling off the bed.

When Cole walked into the bathroom, Madi got up and started to search her bag for the lingerie she had bought with Rachel. She had brought it with her to wear to the exhibition for a boost of confidence. She found the black lace corset and thong. She heard the shower turn on and knew she had time. She undressed and changed into the set. She looked in the mirror carefully and took in her appearance slowly. She pulled her hair out of its bun and let it flow free knowing Cole loved it when she had it out. She sprayed herself with perfume before she stood in front of the bed when Cole opened the bathroom door.

Madi bit her lip as her eyes travelled from the towel that hung low on his hips, his abdomen and chest that was glistening with water droplets. Her eyes finally met with his and they held the same hunger as hers.

“Wow,” Cole breathed out as his eyes danced over her body.

“Do you like it?” Madi asked as she watched him.

Cole crossed the room in an instant and drew her into a hungry kiss. She moaned into the kiss when he picked her up, hooking her legs around his waist. He kissed her down her throat as he laid her down on the bed. His hands travelled up her sides and he squeezed her breasts gently through the soft corset.

His lips moved down to bite her nipple through the fabric of the corset. She moaned loudly and bit her lip as his thumbs hooked into the sides of her thong before he sat back on his knees. He pulled her thong off with a hungry smirk before he delved his tongue into her causing her to moan loudly.

“Cole,” she moaned loudly and laced her fingers into his hair.

Madi arched her back slowly as his hands ran up under her and his tongue continued to run circles around her entrance. Madi felt herself start to build up as Cole started to unclip the hooks of her corset. When all the hooks were undone, he sat back on his knees and pulled the corset off her.

“You’re so god damn beautiful,” he whispered and as his eyes took in every inch of her naked form.

Madi leant up and pulled him into a passionate kiss. His body hovered over hers slightly and she could feel the heat pulsating off his skin. She could feel his hardness rubbing against her leg before he pulled back from the kiss. He reached over and grabbed a condom he had stashed in the nightstand earlier. She bit her lip as she watched him put the condom on and she felt nerves start to build up inside her. 

The nerves washed away when he drew her into a gentle kiss. He brushed her hair out of her face as he pulled away from the kiss slowly.

“Are you sure?” His voice was slightly shaky as his thumb gently stroked her cheek.

“More than anything,” she smiled slowly and kissed him slowly.

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” He whispered as he watched her carefully.

“I don’t want you to,” she whispered with a smile before giving him a quick kiss.

Madi moaned loudly as Cole rubbed himself against her. He lined himself up with her entrance before kissing her slowly. His lips were still against hers as he started to push into her.

It hurt and she couldn’t help the wince from the pain. He stopped and she felt herself slowly start to adjust.

“Are you okay?” He whispered as he slipped his arm under her.

“Yeah,” she breathed out slowly. “Keep going.”

He pushed in a little further as he kissed her and she wrapped her arms around him. She half moaned and half winced as he pushed the rest of the way in. 

“Fuck,” Cole moaned loudly as he paused his movement, letting her adjust.

He started to move at a slow pace and she moaned as she pressed a kiss to his collar bone. He started to pick up the pace, their moans grew louder and more in unison.

Madi’s back arched as Cole started to thrust into her faster. He kissed her slowly and she moaned into his mouth as her fingertips dug into his back. He moaned louder and his pace picked up until he moaned even louder into her mouth as he came.

They stayed together for a long time, breathing heavily and holding each other. Cole smiled at her and stroked her cheek gently.

“I love you,” He smiled slowly and kissed her gently.

“I love you too,” she whispered quietly.

Cole gave her another kiss before rolling off her slowly and disposing of the condom.

Madi suddenly felt embarrassed and her cheeks started to burn red. She slipped under the blanket and curled up slightly.

“Was that okay?” Madi asked quietly as she covered herself with the blanket.

“That was amazing baby,” Cole smiled and slipped under the covers, pulling her close. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I am,” she smiled and relaxed as she kissed him gently. “That wasn’t what I expected it to be,” she whispered and cuddled into his side.

“What do you mean?” He asked quietly and kissed the top of her head.

“I didn’t expect it to feel so good the first time,” she looked at him with a small smirk.

“Trust me Madi,” he smirked and looked down at her as he rubbed her back gently. “It’s going to feel so much better the more we do it.”

“In the morning you should show me what you mean,” she whispered and kissed him slowly. 

“I fucking love you,” he smirked and kissed her slowly.

“I love you too,” she giggled as she kissed him.

“Please wear that set all day, every day,” He smirked as he laid back and looked up at the ceiling.

“I have more on campus,” she giggled quietly and kissed his bare chest. “I kind of went a little crazy at Victoria Secret when I was shopping with Rachel.”

“How crazy are we talking?” He laughed and started to trace patterns on her back.

“$700 crazy,” she giggled quietly. 

“Fuck baby,” He moaned and bit his lip, pulling her closer.

“I guess we’ll have some fun with it,” she smirked and kissed his chest again. “I think it’ll be a good investment.”

  
\------------------------ 

Madi woke up the next morning to find Cole still asleep next to her, his arms around her and his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck. She felt her cheeks burn red at the memory of last night and she couldn’t stop the smile on her face from forming. She felt Cole start to stir and he pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.

“Good morning,” Cole whispered in a husky voice as he flipped Madi on her back and rolled on top of her.

“Good morning,” She mumbled as she kissed him and reached between them to rub him gently.

“Fuck baby,” he moaned loudly against her lips and moved her hand away from his hard member.

He pushed into her slowly, Madi arched her back slowly and moaned into his mouth. He started his pace, much faster than the night before and she hooked her legs around his waist. This let him go deeper into her with every thrust.

“Fuck,” Madi moaned loudly as she felt herself start to build up.

Cole drew her into another kiss and bit her lip gently. His arms slipped under her and held her shoulders so she would stay in place as he pushed into her.

“Cole,” Madi whimpered under him as he picked up the pace.

Madi could feel herself pulse around him and his moans became louder. His thrusts became harder until he came and Madi could feel heat spreading inside her.

“Fuck,” he moaned and kissed her again.

Cole rolled off her breathing heavily as he pulled her into his side. As soon as he slipped out of her, she could feel his cum start to spill out of her.

“I love you, baby,” Cole kissed her slowly.

“I love you too,” Madi smirked and laid her head on his chest. 

After fifteen minutes of cuddling, Madi sat up slowly and ran her hand through her hair. How could she had been so stupid not to use a condom? She may have been a virgin yesterday but she knew about condoms and the fact that the pill was only 99% effective. Her mother got pregnant with her on her first time.

“Are you okay baby?” Cole sat up and rubbed her back gently.

“I should get into the shower,” she whispered slowly and got up, she headed towards the bathroom.

“We can get plan B, there’s a drug store a block away,” he spoke up as he followed her into the bathroom. “Madi, it’s okay.”

Madi didn’t say anything, she turned the shower on and got in. She let the hot water wash over her as she closed her eyes. Cole got in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. 

“We’ll get the plan b,” he whispered and held her closer. “It’ll be fine baby.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled and put her head down slowly.

“Don’t apologise, I should’ve used a condom,” he kissed her temple gently. “You just feel so god damn good baby.”

Cole kissed her neck gently and felt her immediately relax in his arms.   
“I love you Madi, whatever happens, I’m going to be right by your side,” he whispered. “I mean absolutely whatever happens. You and me against the world.”

Madi relaxed from his words and rested her head back on his chest. She felt comfort knowing that no matter what he would be there for her.

“I love you too,” Madi whispered and turned in his arms before kissing him slowly.

“Marry me?” He asked quietly as he stroked her cheek gently.

“Ask me properly and maybe I will,” she smirked and turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand.

  
\----------------- 

  
Madi felt better once they had picked up plan B and they were walking to the restaurant they were meeting her family. Cole wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head gently.

“Feeling better?” Cole asked quietly as they got closer to the restaurant.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly and looked up at him slowly. “I’m sorry about freaking out earlier.”

Cole stopped walking, turning to face her and cupping her cheek gently.

“Stop apologising, Madi,” he kissed her slowly and stroked her street. “Come on, I know you’re hungry.”

“You know me too well,” she smiled slowly and let him lead her down the street again.

They walked into the restaurant and Madi immediately started to look for her parents. She found more than she was expecting. All of her aunts, uncles and grandparents were there along with her parents.

“Did you think they were going to miss this?” Clarke smirked as she got up and hugged her daughter.

“How? I thought you couldn’t get babysitters,” Madi pulled away from her mom’s hug slowly.

“You can thank your sister for that, she organised for her, Jordan, Theo and Taylor to babysit the kids at our house so we could all come.” Bellamy smiled widely and hugged Madi gently.

“Cole, how’s college life treating you?” Clarke smiled and shook Cole’s hand.

Madi greeted her family but paused when she felt an overwhelming wave of nausea. Her brain tuned out the conversations around her and all of her focus was on not throwing up.

“Excuse me,” Madi mumbled and made a quick exit to the bathroom.

Madi emptied the contents of her stomach in the first toilet she found. She wiped her mouth and washed her face in the sink. She knew she had to get another plan B pill because she had only taken it half an hour ago. Madi ran her hand through her hair as she walked out of the bathroom. 

“Madz? Are you okay?” Raven’s voice made Madi look up slowly.

“Yeah, just nerves about tonight,” Madi forced a smile at her aunt. “I might head over to the drug store and get some ginger tablets to settle my stomach.”

“I have some in my bag,” Raven smiled slowly and Madi bit her lip slowly. “What do you really need Madz?”

Madi sighed knowing her aunt could see right through her. 

“Plan B,” Madi whispered looking down slowly.

“Okay,” Raven said simply and rubbed her niece’s arm. “I’ll duck out and grab some while you go back.”

“Thank you birdie,” Madi hugged Raven tightly.

“I’ve got you, girl,” Raven smiled widely and pulled away from the hug. “So how was it?”

“It was good,” Madi dipped her head as her cheeks flushed red.

“Good, go and I’ll go to the drug store,” Raven smiled slowly and led them back to the table. “Guys, I’ll be back. Madi’s feeling a little sick from the nerves, so I’m going to grab her some tablets from the drug store.”

“Thanks, Raven,” Clarke smiled as she watched her daughter sit down.

“Are you okay baby?” Cole asked quietly as Madi got a mint out of her bag.

“I was sick so Raven is picking me up another one,” Madi whispered and pushed her hair behind her ear.

“It’ll be okay baby,” He pressed a kiss to her temple gently.

“What did you two get up to yesterday?” Aurora asked as she sat across the table from the young couple.

“We went sightseeing and then just got room service for dinner,” Cole answered with a smile. 

“I had lunch with your mom yesterday, she said you got into one of the fraternities,” Aurora smiled widely as the waiter started to deliver their drinks.

“Yeah Madi actually helped out a lot,” Cole smiled proudly and looked at Madi. “I just moved from the dorms to the frat house last weekend.”

“I’m excited to see Madi’s collection tonight,” Aurora beamed happily as she picked up her coffee.

“Me too, I’m really proud of her,” Cole grinned from ear to ear and kissed Madi’s cheek gently.

“Madi?” Bellamy’s voice made Madi look up over to him sitting next to her mother. 

“Yeah, dad?” Madi answered as Cole continued his conversation with Aurora and Tybe joined in.

“How are your classes going?” Bellamy examined his daughter carefully with a slight frown.

“Yeah, good,” Madi nodded slowly and took a sip of her coffee. “My art history 101 class is really interesting and my painting essentials class is interesting. We eventually have to do a collection for it.”

“That sounds good, what are you thinking about doing for it?” Her father continued and she knew he could sense that he could tell something was off.

“I have no idea, the professor only lets us work in the class studio which is horrible,” she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “The class studio is crowded and no space in there plus you have every student in there looking over your shoulder, critiquing your every move. I have a meeting with the professor next week after class to see if I can use my studio instead.”

“Who’s your professor?” Lincoln asked quietly from his seat next to Madi.

“Deacon Myers,” Madi answered quickly.

“He’s Vincent’s friend,” Lincoln chuckled and sipped his coffee. “He’s coming tonight but I don’t think he knows it’s your work.”

“This’ll be fun,” Madi smirked, relaxing and trying to push the other thoughts to the back of her mind.

  
\---------------------------- 

  
Madi walked into the gallery with nerves pulsing through every in of her body. She felt a huge rush of proudness when she saw the two paintings of hers that live in the gallery entrance permanently. She felt Cole bring her hand up to his mouth so he could kiss it gently.

“Are those the first two paintings you sold?” Cole pointed at the paintings with a proud smile.

“Yeah, I painted that one first,” Madi pointed to the first painting that was of the sky peeking through the canopy of an evergreen forest. “That’s the one he bought in January,” she pointed at the painting of a figure walking through a dense evergreen forest.

“They’re amazing,” his smile grew as he kissed her cheek.

“The exhibition isn’t open yet,” A blonde-haired woman with black thin-rimmed glasses spoke as she walked into the entrance of the gallery, her heels clanking on the hardwood floors. “You need to leave, it opens at 9.”

“Carrie, this is our artist,” Vincent grinned as he walked into the entrance. “Madi, it’s so good to see you,” the older man kissed Madi’s cheek gently.

“It’s good to see you too, thank you so much for this opportunity,” Madi grinned widely as she gave Vincent a half hug.

“Nonsense, it’s my pleasure,” Vincent grinned widely as he pulled away.

“Vincent, this is my boyfriend Cole,” Madi grinned proudly. “Cole, this is Vincent.”

“You’re a lucky man, Cole,” Vincent grinned widely and shook Cole’s hand firmly. “Madi is one talented young lady.”

“Luckiest man in the world,” Cole beamed happily as he squeezed Madi’s hand. 

“Now, I have some friends coming in early to see the works,” Vincent grinned widely. “They’re having a little tour of the collection but I don’t want them to see you just yet. So why don’t you and Cole grab some mocktails then head up to the roof to check the views while they look around.”

“Sounds perfect,” Cole grinned as Carrie brought over a tray with two drinks.

They both took a glass and followed Carrie to the elevator.

“Take this to the top floor then take the stairs next to the elevator to the roof. I’ll come to grab you guys when it’s time to come back down,” Carrie smiled as the elevator door opened and she ushered them in.

“Thank you,” Madi smiled as the doors started to shut. 

Madi was able to take in her appearance in the full-length mirror. She had gone shopping with her aunts and mom after breakfast, they had insisted on dressing her for tonight. She was wearing a blue silver satin look maxi dress that had thin straps that crossed over her back and wrapped around just under her bust. She had her hair out flowing free down her back with the front pinned back out of her face. 

Cole snaked his arm around her waist from behind and kissed her cheek gently.

“Have I told how beautiful you look tonight?” Cole whispered as held her close. 

“Yes,” Madi whispered as her cheeks flushed red.

“Vincent is right, I’m a very lucky man,” he kissed her cheek again gently as the elevator arrived at the top floor.

Madi couldn’t help but take in Cole’s appearance as the walked to the stairs and started to go up to the roof. He was wearing black dress pants with a matching suit jacket and his dark hair was neatly styled. Madi bit her lip gently as she took his hand slowly and walked out onto the roof.

“This is amazing,” Madi breathed out as she looked at the twinkling New York skyline. “It’s beautiful,” she walked towards the edge of the roof.

Madi put her glass down on the brick wall that surrounded the roof.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Cole grabbed her hand and turned her back to look at him.

Cole got down on one knee with a wide grin as he reached into his pocket.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it every day until I die, I love you Madi with every fibre of my being,” his smile somehow grew even wider. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he pulled out a small ring box and opened it to reveal a simple gold band. “Madi, will you make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife?”

Madi couldn’t believe this was happening now, she wanted this but she couldn’t believe how fast this had happened. They had only been dating for less than four months. They were only nineteen and still in college. They still had a lot of growing up to do. Putting her doubts aside, the smile on her face grew.

“Yes,” Madi whispered and kissed him gently.

“This ring is just a temporary, my grandmother left me a ring for when I got engaged,” Cole mumbled in between kisses. “I’m going to get it off my parents at Thanksgiving.”

Cole pulled away from their kisses to put the thin gold band on her finger. He drew her into another kiss, lifting her and spinning her around as she giggled against his lips. He put her back on her feet gently pulling away from the kiss again.

“I’m not saying we should get married now,” He grinned widely and kept his arms around her waist.

“We shouldn’t tell our families until Thanksgiving,” She couldn’t stop the smile on her face. “This is insane Cole.”

“I don’t care,” he smiled and kissed her gently. “You’re my soul mate, Madi,” his voice dropped to a whisper as he stroked her cheek gently. “We’re soul mates and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

“We’re engaged,” she mumbled with a smile, in disbelief.

“We are,” he smirked and kissed her slowly.

“Holy shit,” she mumbled and breathed out.

“Still in shock?” He chuckled and kissed her temple as he held her closer.

“Yeah,” She breathed out and nestled into him.

Madi stayed nestled in Cole’s arms, just enjoying the moment and processing what had just happened. What had happened this weekend. It had been an eventful weekend so far, to say the least.

  
\--------------------------- 

Madi was standing at the bar with her aunts and mother. Cole had gone off with her father and uncles looking at all of Madi’s works. In reality, they were eavesdropping to see what people were saying about it.

“Madi, I’m so proud of you,” Clarke beamed and tackled Madi into a hug again before pulling back slowly. “How did I get such an amazing daughter?”

“By sleeping with dad,” Madi smirked, her voice slick with sarcasm.

“God, you’re just like Raven,” Clarke smirked and shook her head.

Madi covered her mouth with her left hand as she laughed quietly. Her mother’s eyes going wide made her realise her mistake.

“What’s that?” Clarke frowned deeply as she grabbed Madi’s hand to look at the ring.

“I bought it today, I didn’t try it on when I got it and this was the only finger it fit,” Madi’s voice was surprisingly calm under her mother’s integrating gaze. 

“Give her a break Clarkie, it’s not like she’s engaged,” Raven nudged her friend’s shoulder and Clarke instantly relaxed. 

“May I steal Madi away for a few moments?” Vincent came up behind Madi. 

“Go right ahead,” Octavia smiled slowly and immediately Vincent started leading Madi away.

“I have a friend here who works at your college, he wanted to meet you,” Vincent explained as he walked Madi over to the man who was standing in front of Madi’s largest piece. “Deacon, this is the artist, Madi Blake.”

“You have some really amazing works,” Deacon turned around with a huge smile, it faded slightly as he frowned slightly. “Aren’t you in one of my classes?”

“Yeah, painting essentials,” Madi smiled and shook Deacon’s hand.

“I have a meeting with you this week don’t I?” Deacon still frowned slightly. 

“Yes, to enquire if I can use my studio for the classwork,” Madi spoke quietly. “I rent my own studio near campus.”

“I’m sorry I can’t give you special treatment,” Deacon sighed quietly.

“Come on, Deacon, you know how bad those studios can get,” Vincent tried to reason but Deacon shot him a look.

There was an awkward silence between the three them and Madi felt immediately uncomfortable.

“I saw Lincoln was here,” Deacon spoke directly to Vincent. “I heard he opened his own studio.”

“Yeah, he did. That’s how I found Madi, the two in the entrance are hers and we sold a couple of her works over the summer,” Vincent smiled slowly as Carrie walked over to them.

“Vincent, we have an offer,” Carrie spoke up, gaining Vincent’s full attention. 

“For which one?” Madi asked timidly.

“The 120x120 untitled,” Carrie answered quickly.

“Alright, I’m coming,” Vincent answered quickly. “Excuse me.”

Madi watched Vincent walk away, leaving her in an awkward situation with Deacon. 

“Just because you’ve had an exhibition doesn’t mean you’ll get special treatment,” Deacon narrowed his eyes slightly.

“I don’t expect it,” Madi spoke firmly. “Excuse me.”

Madi spotted Lincoln and started to walk towards him, she gave her uncle a tight smile.

“Is he still a bitter asshole?” Lincoln asked as Madi made it over to him.

“Just because you’ve had an exhibition doesn’t mean you’ll get special treatment,” Madi mocked Deacon’s tone.

“He’s an asshole,” Lincoln rolled his eyes slowly. “Who’s coming this way?” He sighed slowly.

“Lincoln, it’s good to see you,” Deacon smiled a fake smile as he shook Lincoln’s hand.

“Deacon, it’s been a while,” Lincoln spoke firmly.

“I wouldn’t expect to see you here,” Deacon stood firmly as he looked up at the taller man.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Lincoln crossed his arms slowly. “Madi is my niece.”

“Your niece?” Deacon questioned. “So that’s how she got this exhibition,” he mummed and Madi frowned deeply.

“No, Madi’s talent speaks for itself,” Lincoln crossed his arms firmly with a deep frown. “Don’t be bitter Deacon,” he sat firmly and Madi grabbed a drink from a server as they walked by. “You know they say those who can’t do teach.”

Madi started to choke on her drink as she laughed from her uncle’s words and the fact that Deacon walked away immediately. 

“Serves him right,” Lincoln grumbled as Madi coughed trying to recover from choking on her drink.

“You’re savage,” Madi got out between coughs.

“He’s an asshole and I’m letting take away the fact that you earned this, your talent got you here,” Lincoln spoke firmly and took a sip of his scotch. “I need to go talk to Vincent.”

Madi watched Lincoln walk off, leaving Madi standing alone and drinking her drink before a waiter took her empty glass. She felt arms snake around her waist from behind and a kiss being pressed to her temple.

“How is my beautiful fiancé enjoying her very first gallery exhibition?” Cole whispered in her ear quietly.

“Overwhelming,” Madi mumbled quietly. “I think our parents are going to freak out when they find out.”

Madi felt nerves building up in her and she started to shake slightly but stopped when Cole squeezed her tighter.

“It’ll be fine baby,” he kissed her temple gently. “They’ll be excited, your mom and aunts will probably go crazy wanting to plan everything,” he chuckled quietly. 

“I hope they don’t freak out,” she whispered and dipped her head slowly.

“Come on, Madi don’t be sad,” Octavia spoke as she walked over to her niece. “Ignore that asshole Deacon,” she pulled Madi out of Cole’s arms and into a tight hug.

“He’s really going to ride me in class now,” Madi sighed as she pulled away from the hug. 

“Let your talent speak for itself,” Octavia brushed Madi’s hair out of her face. “Everything is starting to wind down here, Lincoln’s just talking to Vincent. Why don’t we all go get some desserts before heading back to the hotel.”

“Sounds good,” Madi smiled, relaxing slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
I hope you liked it, please let me know what you think!  
They finally did it!
> 
> Also please note there won't be a chapter next week because I'm on holiday.
> 
> Love you guys always <3


	13. Chapter 13

Madi and Cole hadn’t told anyone they were engaged, not even Ethan. Cole was completely positive about telling their parents but Madi wasn’t too sure their parents’ reactions would be positive. Cole had been excited the whole drive back to their home town but Madi felt fear settling into the pit of her stomach. Before they had even left Madi had taken off her gold band and put it on the necklace Cole had given her for her birthday.

Cole pulled up in front of Madi’s parents' house after the sun had already gone down. They were staying at their own parents’ houses because they honestly hadn’t spent much time with their family since they left for college. Clarke had planned a family movie night to celebrate Madi being home.

“Just think, tomorrow night our families are going to know we’re engaged and we can stop keeping it a secret,” Cole smiled as he put his hand on her cheek.

“Yeah,” Madi spoke quietly, it was still obvious she was nervous about telling their families. 

“Relax baby, it’ll be fine, I’m going to ask my parents for the ring tonight,” He leant over and kissed her slowly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she kissed him again slowly. 

“I’ll call you later,” he smiled and watched her get out of the car, grabbing her bag from the trunk.

Madi waved at him one more time before walking through the fresh snow up into the house.

“Madi!” Augustus squealed as he ran bound through the door and wrapped his arms around Madi’s waist.

Julian almost completely tackled Madi when he barrelled her into a hug.

‘You were gone for too long,’ Julian signed when he pulled away from Madi.

‘I know, I know, I’m sorry I was busy with my classes and the exhibition,’ Madi signed and watched her little brother sigh. ‘but in a couple of weeks I’ll be coming home for three weeks over Christmas.’

‘Can we go ice skating?’ Augustus signed with a smile.

‘Hell yeah,’ Madi smiled happily. ‘let’s get inside, it’s freezing.’

“Madi!” Minerva called out as she ran down the stairs and tackled Madi into a hug.

“Hey Mini,” Madi laughed as she hugged her little sister. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Minerva grinned widely and pulled away from the hug.

‘Where’s Cole?’ Julian signed with a slight frown as Madi put her bag down slowly.

‘He’s gone to his parents’ Madi signed back quickly. ‘He’ll be here tomorrow with his Mom and Dad.’

Madi ruffled Julian’s hair and walked into the kitchen slowly. She found her parents getting the food ready for the movie night. Bellamy’s face lit up when he saw Madi and he engulfed her into a hug.

“Hey baby girl,” Bellamy smiled and kissed the top of her head.

“Hey Dad,” Madi smiled and pulled away from the hug slowly. “Sorry I’m late, Ethan got a flat on the way down and we had to stop to help him.”

“You’re right on time,” Clarke smiled, taking the opportunity to hug her eldest daughter. “Cole didn’t want to come in?”

“Jane called when we got into town, she already had dinner ready to go,” Madi explained as she pulled away from the hug. “What movie are we watching?”

“Some hero action movie the twins picked,” Bellamy spoke as he went back to preparing the food with a small smile on his face.

“Where’s Theo?” Madi frowns slightly, noticing that her brother was yet to make an appearance.

“He’s on a date,” Clarke spoke with a small smirk. “With a boy, he’s been seeing for the last couple of months. Your brother is quite head over heels for this boy.”

“My brother smitten, I must meet this boy,” Madi smirked slowly. 

“Cole could’ve stayed over here,” Clarke spoke after a few minutes.

“An endured dad having his ever so present freakouts whenever he catches us as much as kissing,” Madi laughed quietly and crossed her arms slowly. “Cole hasn’t seen his parents since we left so he wanted to spend time with them.”

“I spoke to Jane yesterday and I think she’s excited to have a big thanksgiving tomorrow,” Clarke smiled slowly. “I told her that it’s going to be the first of many. We’re all a family now.”

Clarke’s words made Madi feel better about telling them about being engaged to Cole. She just hoped the rest of their families won’t freak out.

\-------------------------------- 

Madi snuck upstairs while her family was engrossed in the end of the movie. She had five missed calls from Cole and texts telling him to call her. She had gone all the way upstairs to her room so she had privacy. Madi’s stomach dropped as she called Cole, she knew it hadn’t gone well with his parents before she even called him. 

“My parents freaked out when I asked for the ring,” Cole spoke as soon as he answered. “I didn’t tell them I’d already proposed. My dad just kept going on about how I still have medical school and eight years of studying before I can even start working in a hospital,” he sighed loudly and Madi could hear he was painting.

“We shouldn’t tell them,” Madi sighed quietly and ran her hand through her hair. “Your parents freaked out from you asking for the ring. If we tell them, they’re going to flip out ten times worse.”

“I’m sorry baby,” He sighed loudly again.

“This is supposed to be happy, I don’t want to tell them now if it’s just going to cause a fight,” she admitted quietly.

“You’re right baby, we’ll keep it a secret for now,” He spoke quietly. “My mom’s knocking on my door, I’ve got to go. Love you.”

“Love you too,” she whispered before he hung up.

Madi felt sick at the thought of their parents freaking out and the fight that will likely ensue when they find out. Waves of nausea washed over her until it became too much. She ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach.

After she brushed her teeth and washed her face, she made her way downstairs into the kitchen to get water. Her mom was coming up from the basement as Madi came down the stairs.

“You okay Madz?” Clarke frowned slowly as she followed Madi into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m just not feeling so well,” Madi spoke quietly as she got a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“Are you pregnant?” Clarke asked immediately.

“No Mom,” Madi frowned deeply and took a sip of her water.

“You’ve been off all night, you may be,” Clarke shrugged as she put the kettle on the stove.

“Mom, I’m not pregnant, I’m just not feeling well,” Madi leant against the bench slowly. 

“I’m just saying, you can still get pregnant when you use birth control and condoms,” Clarke got two mugs out of the cupboard. “I wouldn’t be mad if you were.”

“Mom, I’m not pregnant,” Madi knew her Mom was just trying to be supportive in her own way. “But I promise I’ll tell you if I am pregnant in the future.”

“I just feel like you’re growing up so fast,” Clarke admitted quietly. “And you not feeling well kind of made me jump to conclusions.” 

“It’s okay Mom,” Madi gave her mom a tight hug.

“Have you and Cole decided what you’re going to do for winter break?” Clarke asked quietly after she pulled away from the hug.

“I think we’re going to split our time,” Madi explained quietly. “Jane and Henry want to do some stuff with us. We’re spending Christmas apart but we were thinking to meet up with each other that night to exchange our presents.”

“It’s hard when you’ve got to split everything up,” Clarke sighed quietly and ran her hand through her hair.

“We’ll figure it out,” Madi laughed quietly. “You and Dad have it easy when it comes to that.”

“That’s true,” Clarke laughed quietly and poured the water from the kettle into two mugs. “Here, it’s peppermint tea, it’ll settle your stomach.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Madi smiled and took the mug off her mother.

  
\--------------------- 

  
Madi turned off her light and crawled into bed with a loud yawn. She was tired and all she wanted to do was sleep. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes when her door creaked open and Minerva crawled into bed with her, Theo followed in soon after.

“Hey, how was your date?” Madi asked in a sleepy voice.

“It was good,” Theo chuckled and got comfortable next to Madi while Minerva was on the other side of Madi.

“That good huh?” Madi chuckled as she rearranged the pillows behind her head.

“They’re so cute together,” Minerva laughed quietly. “They get hot and heavy at like every party.”

“Make sure you use protection,” Madi warned as she looked at her little brother.

“Always,” He chuckled loudly.

“Theo had a threesome with him and one of the cheerleaders,” Minerva laughed loudly.

“Holy shit Theo,” Madi looked at her brother with wide eyes.

“We got a little crazy one night when we were drinking,” Theo shrugged slowly with a laugh.

“God, you have a more exciting sex life than I do,” Madi laughed as she covered her face.

“You and Cole finally did it?” Minerva smiled excitedly and nudged her sister.

“Yeah so you can’t tease me about being virgin anymore,” Madi nudged her sister back.

“Fucking finally,” Minerva laughed loudly.

“Do you like him?” Madi watched her brother carefully.

“Yeah I do, a lot,” he admitted quietly with a small smile.

“Good, I’m happy for you,” Madi smiled and hugged her brother tightly. 

“I’ve missed you Madi,” He hugged his sister and kissed the top of her head. “I’m happy Cole’s treating you right.”

“He is,” Madi smiled happily. “He even flew out to surprise me in New York, he told me he couldn’t come but he was waiting in the arrivals for me.”

“That’s romantic,” Minerva smiled widely and hugged her sister.

“Hey thank you for organising to babysit the kids,” Madi wrapped an arm around her little sister.

“I owed you for being a bitch all summer,” Minerva whisper and kissed her sister’s cheek.

“Thanks for babysitting, Theo,” Madi smiled at her little brother.

“It was actually pretty fun,” Theo admitted quietly.

“So when do I get to meet this boyfriend of yours?” Madi smirked slowly watching her brother blush.

“Winter break, you and Cole can come to the house party he’s throwing,” Theo smirked and nudged his sister.

“So are we all sleeping in here?” Madi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yep we haven’t done this since we were kids,” Minerva smirked and got under the blankets.

They got under the covers and cuddled up to each other. Madi couldn’t stop the smile on her face as her younger siblings cuddled up to her as they fell asleep. Madi didn’t realise how much she had missed them until this moment.

  
\--------------------- 

Madi could feel the tension when Jane, Henry and Cole arrived just before dinner. Madi felt immediately uncomfortable under Henry’s gaze as he walked into the dining room as Jane went to the kitchen to help Clarke and Aurora. 

“They haven’t stopped all day,” Cole whispered in Madi ear as he hugged her tightly.

“It felt like your dad was staring holes into me,” Madi whispered quietly and rested her head on his chest. 

“I love you,” He whispered and rubbed her back gently.

“I love you too,” she whispered and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Come on, dinner is ready,” Aurora called out as she put a serving dish on the table.

Most of the dinner had been quiet but there was still a really awkward tension as Henry death stared the young couple sitting opposite him. Cole and Madi were sitting at the main table with the adults while the kids sat at a separate table in the lounge room.

“Bellamy, I think you should know what my son asked us to give him last night, maybe you can talk some sense into them,” Henry spoke up causing the rest of the table to hush their conversations.

“Henry, this is not the time,” Jane hissed at her husband.

“My son asked me for my mother’s engagement ring so he can propose to your daughter,” Henry grumbled as he took a sip of his beer.

There was a collective ‘what’ around the table and all eyes were now turned to the young couple.

“You’re nineteen, are you insane?” Bellamy boomed from the head of the table.

“Calm down Bellamy,” Aurora shot a look at her son.

Madi hunched down in her seat slightly, making herself look smaller. Cole grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it gently. It didn’t bring her much comfort.

“They’ve been together what 5 months?” Bellamy continued, ignoring his mother’s words. “And you think this is long enough for you two know each other enough to get married?”

“Bell, they’ve known each other since they were kids,” Aurora tried to reason with her son.

“They’re not even out of college,” Bellamy boomed even louder.

“Cole still has four years of medical school after he finishes his bachelor’s degree,” Henry joined in on the argument. “My son is not giving up on being a doctor to marry some hippy artist at nineteen.”

“I wouldn’t be giving up being a doctor,” Cole spoke up with a deep frown. “Just because we’re getting engaged doesn’t mean we’re getting married right away. It’s not going to stop us from achieving anything.”

“Are you fucking delusional?” Bellamy snapped loudly and slammed his fists down on the table, making Madi jump.

“Getting engaged and married changes everything,” Clarke spoke in a quieter voice than her husband’s.

“Mom, you were going to get engaged to Roan on your 20th birthday,” Madi spoke quietly as she squeezed Cole’s hand tighter.

“That was different,” Clarke countered.

“You’re still a child, Madi!” Bellamy snapped again.

“Bellamy!” Aurora warned raising her voice.

“Don’t be so stupid and make this terrible mistake, Cole!” Henry shouted loudly making Madi jump again.

“I love Madi and nothing will ever change that!” Cole snapped back loudly.

“You don’t know what love is!” Henry got up from his seat and leant over the table, pointing at his son.

“That’s enough Henry!” Jane pulled her husband down into his seat. “I don’t agree with them getting engaged now but I don’t think they are stupid for it. They obviously love each other, actually love each other and nothing is denying that.”

“Now is not the time for you two to get engaged,” Clarke spoke quietly.

“Never would be a good time for them to get engaged or married. My son is far too smart for your idiot daughter who thinks she can get by with an arts degree,” Henry sneered.

“My daughter is already out-earning your son and would be the one supporting them while he’s still studying,” Bellamy seethed through his teeth as he glared at Henry.

“Maybe they could have a long engagement and we can take time planning out the wedding when they’re both older,” Aurora suggested quietly.

“Mom, are you insane?” Bellamy turned his glare to his mother. “There’s no way in hell Madi is marrying into a family with that psychopath at the head of the family.”

“And you think I want my son marrying into a family with the likes of you in it,” Henry growled and narrowed his eyes at Bellamy. “Who knows how many guys your daughter has opened her legs for?”

“How dare you say that about Madi!” Cole shouted as he pointed at his father.

“Henry!” Jane snapped and glared at her husband.

“Cause your son isn’t a man whore! He already had a girl claim to be pregnant with his child!” Bellamy boomed across the table.

“Bellamy!” Clarke narrowed her eyes at her husband.

“There is no way in hell I’m letting my daughter make the monumental mistake of marrying your son at nineteen!” Bellamy shouted as he stood up and pointed at the young couple. “He wouldn’t even know the first thing about taking care of a family! I’m not letting you two be so stupid! I didn’t raise you, Madi to be so stupid.”

Madi could feel the tears stinging her eyes as her father shouted towards them. She knew their family would freak out but she never thought they would flip out like this. She never thought it would be this hurtful.

“My son is too damn smart to marry a girl like your daughter!” Henry shouted louder than Bellamy as he stood up. “I don’t want my son marrying the likes of you! You’re going to ruin his life! You’ll be the death of his dreams!” He pointed in Madi’s face, looking down at her. “If you stay with her, kiss your college fund goodbye because I’m not paying for you to fail.”

“Henry!” Jane snapped and glared at her husband in disbelief.

“Baby, so go upstairs and get your bag, we’re leaving,” Cole spoke firmly as he stood up and helped Madi up.

“You can’t go,” Aurora spoke in a soft voice as she got up and walked over to them.

“Why would we stay? We’re getting yelled at and called idiots for just loving each other,” Madi wiped away her tears and grabbed Cole’s hand. “I thought my family would love and support me no matter what. I was wrong.”

Madi wiped away her fresh tears as she walked upstairs with Cole following behind her. She immediately started to pack her bag but her tears didn’t stop. 

“Are you okay?” Cole asked quietly as he rubbed her back gently.

“No,” Madi shook her head slowly and finished shoving her things into her bag.

Madi pulled her jacket on put her beanie on before grabbing her bag. She didn’t say anything else as they walked downstairs.

“You can’t drive back to campus tonight,” Clarke pleaded as she walked towards her daughter.

“We’re not staying here,” Madi shook her head as she watched Cole put his coat on.

“You can stay at our place for the night and leave in the morning,” Raven suggested as she walked closer to them tentatively.

“I don’t want to be around any of you right now,” Madi shook her head and rubbed her forehead. “None of you stood up for us, for me. You all just let us be called stupid. The only one who stuck up for us was nan.”

Madi opened the front door and walked out with Cole.

  
\---------------- 

  
Madi crawled into the hotel bed emotionally exhausted. Her phone hadn’t stopped getting calls from her family. Cole wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head gently.

“I knew they would freak out but I never expect that,” Madi mumbled as she laid her head on his chest.

“I’m sorry baby,” his arms tightened around her.

“We did nothing wrong,” she whispered as her phone started to vibrate again.

Madi reached over to turn it off when she realised it was her nan.

“It’s my nan, she’s already called twelve times,” she sat up slowly and answered the phone.

“Madi? Thank god, where are you? Please don’t tell me you’re still driving,” Aurora’s voice was panicked and shaky.

“No, we’re at the hotel in town, we’re leaving in the morning,” Madi spoke quietly as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Madi, they don’t mean it, they’re just freaking out about it,” Aurora tried to reason which just made Madi sigh loudly.

“Nan, that wasn’t freaking out,” Madi sighed quietly. “That was beyond freaking out.”

“They’ll calm down, Madz,” Aurora assured quietly.

“I won’t be visiting for a while,” Madi sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. “I think Cole and I are going to go away for Christmas.”

“I wish you wouldn’t but I understand why you want to go away,” Aurora sighed quietly. “Stay safe Madz, call me when you get back to campus. I love you Madz.”

“Love you too, Nan,” Madi hung up and turned her phone off. 

“You okay baby?” Cole sat up and rubbed her back gently.

“Yeah,” She turned and gave him a gentle kiss. “We should get some sleep.”

“Come here,” he pulled her into his arms as he laid back on the bed.

  
\-------------------------- 

As soon as Madi turned her phone on again the next morning after they had breakfast, it started blowing up again. Madi sighed as she put her coffee in the cup holder and answered the phone when her dad called.

“Where are you?” Bellamy spoke with a quiet voice which just made Madi sigh quietly.

“We just left town,” Madi sighed again and rubbed the back of her neck. “Look, Dad, I’ll text you when I get back to campus.”

“Madi don’t hang up,” Bellamy sighed causing Madi to rub her forehead.

“I don’t want to talk to you right now,” she bit her lip and slid down in her seat. “You hurt me, dad, you all did and I don’t want to talk to any of you right now. I thought out of all of you, you and mom would understand.”

Madi hung up her phone and threw it into her bag with a loud groan.

“Cole, maybe we shouldn’t get married,” Madi sighed rubbing her forehead. “It’s tearing apart our families. Maybe they’re right, maybe we’re making a huge mistake.”

“I love you, Madi and nothing will ever change that,” Cole pulled over on the side of the road. “I don’t care what everyone else says.”

“I love you too but your Dad’s right,” She couldn’t look at him, she just looked out the window as she spoke. “We shouldn’t be doing this, I’m just distracting you from your future.”

“What are you saying?” His voice broke as he spoke quietly.

“I’m distracting you from your future, you should be focused on studying and getting good grades not getting married,” she whispered and bit her lip.

“Madi, please,” He begged and she could hear the tears in his voice.

“We need to break up,” she couldn’t stop her voice from breaking as she spoke. “You need to focus on your future and I’m not meant to be in it.”

“Madi, no, please,” he reached out to touch her but she moved away from his touch knowing that if she let him touch she would break.

“It’s for the best Cole,” she whispered as tears stung her eyes. 

“You can’t even look at me, you don’t want this, Madi,” He pleaded as he reached for her. 

“I want what’s best for you and that’s not me! I’m not good for you or your future, Cole! If we stay together, your dad is going to cut you off from your college fund! How are you going to pay for tuition?” she looked at him as her tears spilt down her cheeks. “I don’t want us to be together.”

“Fine,” he wiped his tears on the sleeve of his hoodie before he started to drive again.

  
\---------------------- 

  
The drive was painful, neither of them spoke, both were silently crying most of the drive. They didn’t even speak when he pulled up to the dorms. Madi just got out and got her bag out of the trunk, still sniffling from crying. As soon as Madi shut the trunk, Cole sped off out of the parking lot. Madi stood in the snow watching him leave.

Madi went up to her dorm room and went straight to bed, she didn’t even bother changing. She tried to sleep but couldn’t her mind kept playing the image of Cole’s face in her head. The pain in his eyes haunted her.

Madi barely moved from the bed for two days until Cali came home, she didn’t want to be around Cali and her self centred attitude. Madi finally pulled herself out of bed and turned her phone on. That’s when the notification from her period tracker app, she was three days late and Madi was never late. Her period was never late.

Madi silently swore to herself as she walked out of the dorms and drove to the Walmart. She grabbed a few tests and chocolate, knowing she was going to need some sweet encouragement to get her through this. She got back to the dorms and made a beeline for the bathrooms, she just wanted it over and done with. 

Those two fucking lines stared back at her on the first and the second test. She paced up and down the halls of the dorm all night, not knowing what to do. She fell into her bed after midnight but was out of it again by six am to take another test. Positive again. 

Madi stared at Cole’s number in her phone as she sat on the floor of her studio. She had been staring at it for almost an hour, seven more tests had come back positive. She was pregnant.

“Fuck,” Madi sobbed and hit the back of her head against the wall.

Madi pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed into her hands loudly. She had royally fucked up her life and she didn’t know what the fuck to do. 

She was alone and pregnant with no one who she could talk to. She couldn’t talk to her family, not after thanksgiving. She couldn’t tell Cole, she had already fucked him up enough.

  
\---------------------- 

  
Madi had barely slept in the week since she had found out. She was nervous as she walked into the clinic, she had to drive across town to it. She looked shocking, her eyes had dark circles under them and her skin was pale and translucent. 

Madi filled out the forms and had her blood drawn by the nurse for the pregnancy test. She was going to have to wait two more days to get the results. She went to her class the next day but she couldn’t pay attention. Her mind was racing, halfway through her art history class, she started to feel cramps worse than her period and had to slip out of the room as the pain got worse. Maybe it was a blessing this was happening. 

The next day, the clinic called to tell her that she had been pregnant but her hormone levels showed that she had lost the pregnancy. Madi felt a mixture of sadness and relief when she heard the news. 

She wasn’t pregnant anymore, she just needed to learn how to numb the pain her chest that was making her feel lost in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I'm Not crying, you're crying........... okay I'm crying

Madi couldn’t get the image of Cole’s face when she broke up with him. The heartbreak and devastation clear on his face. She hadn’t seen him for almost two weeks now but the memory was still burned into her mind. The memory like the emptiness in her chest wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. 

She hadn’t gotten to see Ethan either and she missed their friendship. She hadn’t seen Rachel either and she missed having someone to talk to. She hadn’t spoken to her family either, she was still hurt about what had happened at thanksgiving. She felt so cut off from everyone and it was her own fault. She had done this to herself.

Madi walked across campus in the snow, she had just finished her last revision class and was heading towards the library to study for her finals.

“Well hello, Madi,” Drew’s voice made Madi look up to see him walking towards.

“I’m not in the mood Drew,” Madi warned and kept walking. 

“Get a drink with me tonight,” Drew smirked as he turned to walk beside her. “And don’t say you have a boyfriend because I know you two broke up.”

“I’m not interested, Drew,” Madi shot him a glare, hoping he’d get the message.

“You need to move on, god knows Cole has,” He smirked widely. “There’s been a rather attractive parade out of his room the last couple of weeks, it’s rather impressive.”

Her chest ached at this news but she closed herself off so Drew couldn’t see her reaction to this.

“I’m not interested, Drew,” She spoke firmly and walked a little faster. “Get it through your thick skull.”

“Madi,” He growled and grabbed her arm firmly, making her stop walking.

“Let go of me,” She growled but his grip tightened around her arm.

“Let go of her!” A familiar male voice shouted and she looked up to see Ethan storming over with Rachel close behind him.

Drew growled and let go of Madi’s arm before walking off in a huff as Ethan and Rachel stormed over.

“Thanks,” Madi mumbled quietly as she looked down.

“No problem,” Ethan spoke quietly. “How have you been?”

Madi shrugged, the news of Cole moving on had shaken her up and she felt vulnerable. This whole situation felt beyond awkward.

“I should go, I’ve got to study for my finals,” Madi mumbled and shoved her hands into her pockets.

“We should catch up some time, we could go grab a coffee sometime,” Rachel spoke up in a soft voice.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly, still unable to look up at them.

“I’ll come by your room tomorrow,” Rachel spoke up and Madi just nodded again before she started to walk towards the library again.

  
\----------------------------- 

  
Madi's day had only gotten worse when she got back to her dorm room from the library, Cali was in a bad mood to end all bad moods and had started snapping at Madi as soon as she walked in. Madi needed to flee the room fast so she didn't cop it any further from Cali any further. Madi grabbed her shower caddie and robe before escaping Cali's firing range. Madi kept her head down as she made her way to the showers down the hall.

Madi let the hot water warm her skin and wash over her as she tried to clear her mind of the mess her life was because of her. His face still haunted her when she closed her eyes and the empty ache in her chest never left her alone. She hadn't felt a sense of normality at all since that day. She had tried to paint a week after she had gotten back but she just sat there staring at the canvas, no inspiration filling her at all. She kept trying but it just wasn't working. She was afraid that she would never feel normal again, that she'd never feel whole again.

Drew's words played over and over in her head like a broken record, every time it did it hurt a little more. Her chest grew tighter and she felt like it was getting harder to breathe. She put her head under the water stream and tried to force Drew's voice out of her head. She focused on the sound of the water hitting her skin and rolling down her body before disappearing into the drain.

Madi turned the water on hotter, hoping it would stop her mind from racing and her mind would focus on her skin burning under the heat of the water. Unfortunately, this shower wasn't like the one at her parents’ house, it didn't get nearly hot enough. She admitted defeat and turned the shower off. She wanted to go back to her room and go to bed but she knew that wouldn't be possible with Cali in the mood she was in. Escaping to her studio was possible if she could block out the memories. Who was she kidding? This whole campus was tied to memories of Cole. She forced herself to close off her mind to the memories and to put her walls back up from the vulnerable state she allowed herself to slip into. 

She lazily dried her hair with the hairdryer, to the point where it was just dry. She tightened her robe around her and shoved her discarded clothes into her laundry bag along with her towel. She sighed, still trying to figure out where she was going to go to escape Cali's bad mood. She ran her hand through her hair as she walked out of the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the figure walking out of the dorm room directly in front of the bathroom doorway.

Shirtless, shirt and jacket haphazardly thrown over his shoulder as he did up the zipper and button of his jeans. It was obvious what had just happened but he acted nonchalantly about it as if it was just a normal Thursday night with a satisfied smile gracing his lips. Madi swallowed as Cole finally looked up to see her, his face falling immediately from its content smile. She dipped her head and quickly started to walk away towards her room, her chest burning in pain and the air leaving her lungs. He thankfully didn't follow her, she didn't think she would be able to take it if she had.

Her chest ached painfully and she tried to ignore Cali as she crawled into bed, hiding under the covers. She wanted the pain to go away, the memory of him leaving another girl's room to go away and the knowledge that what Drew said was most likely true to go away. She stayed curled in a ball with her eyes squeezed shut.

  
\------------------------------------- 

  
Madi was thankful when Cali got up to leave the next morning, she didn't expect Rachel to slip in before the door closed and locked. Rachel jumped up to sit on Madi's bed, making Madi groan loudly at the movement as she rubbed her forehead. 

"Come on, get up," Rachel ordered firmly and poked Madi.

"I don't feel like it," Madi groaned and buried her face into her pillow.

"Tough shit, get up," Rachel yanked Madi up firmly. "We're going to get coffee."

Madi groaned and she slid off the bed, conceding to the fact that Rachel wasn't going to take no for an answer. Rachel immediately went over to Madi's wardrobe opening the door when a box fell off the top shelf. Madi cursed silently when the box hit the ground spilling its contents. Rachel immediately bent down and picked up the stick off the ground, staring at it in disbelieve. Madi took the stick off Rachel before gathering the identical sticks off the ground and back into the box. Madi didn’t know why she hadn’t thrown them out, a part of still hadn’t processed it all.

"You're pregnant?" Rachel looked at the other girl with wide eyes.

"No," Madi shook her head and shoved the box into a garbage bag.

Madi walked out of her room, still in her pyjamas with the garbage bag in hand. Rachel followed after Madi quickly, reaching out to grab her arm to stop her as she got to the garbage shoot. 

"What do you mean no? There were at least ten tests in there, all positive," Rachel argued as Madi shoved the bag down the shoot.

"I'm not pregnant," Madi spoke firmly as she crossed her arms and started to walk back to her room.

"Have you told him yet?" Rachel's words made Madi stop walking. "He's been heartbroken over the breakup."

"Heartbroken huh?" Madi moved to the side so Rachel could see Cole coming out of a different girl's room than the night before. "So heartbroken, that's the second girl he’s slept within twelve hours."

Madi shook her head and continued to walk back to her room. Rachel followed closely, not letting Madi avoid her or her questions. 

"You have to tell him you're pregnant," Rachel pushed as they got back into her room and Madi was getting dressed into a pair of jeans.

"I'm not pregnant, Rachel," Madi growled, annoyed at the fact Rachel wasn't dropping the subject.

"How do you explain the positive pregnancy tests?" Rachel crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"I took them, they came up positive but I got my period," Madi pulled her shirt on and pulled her hair up into a bun. "They were false positive."

Madi pulled her duffle bag out of the top of the cupboard and threw it onto her bed. Madi immediately started to pull her clothes out of the wardrobe and throwing them onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" Rachel frowned watching Madi as she cleared out her entire wardrobe.

"Cole is determined to sleep with every girl on this floor, I don't want to stick around to watch it," Madi started to shove her clothes into the bag.

"Where are you going to go?" Rachel frowned deeply.

"I'll stay in my studio until next semester," Madi kept packing her bags, grabbing everything she owned to put in her bags.

"Madi-," Rachel started but Madi cut her off.

"I think you should go," Madi could feel herself start to break again and she didn't want to be this vulnerable in front of anyone.

"Madi-," Rachel started again but Madi cut her off.

"Please," Madi's voice broke and she looked down immediately so Rachel wouldn't see her tears.

"I'm here if you need me Madi," Rachel spoke quietly before she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Madi to pack her things alone.

  
\------------------------------ 

  
Madi sighed as she sat down at a table in the back of the library, it was packed in there because everyone was studying for finals. She had managed to find a table at the back but the downside was that it was near where everyone went to hook up. She just hoped to god that Cole wasn't going to be there hooking up with someone. The image of his satisfied smile as he left the girls room was burned into her mind, right next to the image of Cole when she broke up with him. She closed off her mind to it, hoping that if she closed her mind off to it she'd be able to concentrate on studying.

It was working surprisingly well, she was able to go over the majority of her revision for her art history. All of her focus was on her revision notes and she blocked out the rest of the world. A familiar voice broke Madi's concentration and the ache in her chest grew worse, it felt like someone was sitting on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Turn around," Cole's voice broke her peace and made reality crash down on her. "Fuck Baby," his moan echoed loudly.

Madi quickly gathered her stuff from the table and practically ran out of the library, she needed air, she needed to be able to breathe. The tears were involuntary as she got around the side of the building, she slid down the wall and sat on the cold stone floor.

"You okay?" Ethan asked quietly as he sat down on the ground next to her. "Don't say you can't talk to me, the divorce settlement decrees that you guys share custody of me and Cole's had me the majority of the time since you guys got back."

Madi didn't say anything, she just wiped her tears away and tried to stop crying. She groaned as she hit the back of her head on the wall.

"He's hurting, you know," Ethan sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. "It might not look like it with the way that he's acting but he's shut himself off."

"He slept with two different girls from my floor last night and he's with another girl in the library now," she sighed defeated.

There was a long silence between them, Ethan definitely didn’t know how to respond.

"What happened? Cole just said you broke up with him and that's it," he frowned slightly, watching Madi carefully.

"In New York, Cole proposed and he wanted to give me his grandmother's ring but he had to wait until thanksgiving to ask his parents for it," she fidgeted uncomfortably as she spoke. "They completely lost it when he asked for the ring. His dad brought it up at Thanksgiving dinner and both of our families got into a fight. Cole didn't tell them that he had already proposed, that was their reaction from him just asking. Cole's Dad was going to cut off his college fund if he stayed with me," She shook uncomfortably at the memory. "I couldn't let Cole go through that, I couldn't let him give that up and I knew he'd never do break up with me. I had to do it for him," she took a deep breath. "I had to do what was best for him."

There was silence between them and fresh tears stung Madi's eyes. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back hoping the tears didn't fall.

"Shit," Ethan breathed out and grabbed Madi's hand, squeezing it gently. "And the tests? Rachel told me about them."

"The clinic said that the embryo didn't implant properly so my body was giving out enough hormones to make the tests positive but it was never going to be a viable pregnancy," she sighed wiping her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Madi," he spoke quietly and squeezed her hands.

"Rachel's going to tell Cole, isn't she?" She looked at him already knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry, I tried to talk her out of it," He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I need to go and find somewhere to study where Cole isn't hooking up with someone," she forced herself up and shoved her books in her bag.

"Where are you staying?" He asked as he got up with her.

"In my studio until next semester then I can move into my new room," She explained quietly looking down.

“Screw studying, let’s go grab something to eat,” he suggested quietly. “I’ve missed hanging out with you, Blake.”

“Okay,” she nodded slowly. “I could use some distraction.”

They quietly walked towards the food hall and immediately got food, sitting at a table in the corner.

“How have you been really? I want 100% honesty Blake,” Ethan asked as he relaxed back in his seat.

“Horrible, broken, lonely, isolated, sad, depressed. Any of those words can describe the way I feel,” Madi sighed and slumped down in her seat. “I had to break up with the one person I’ve ever actually loved because I didn’t want to ruin his future. He hates me now.”

“He doesn’t hate you, Madi,” He sighed quietly and rubbed the back of her neck. “He loves you more than anything.”

“Everything is so fucked up,” she groaned and put her head in her hands.

“It’ll get back to normal eventually,” he reached out and rubbed her back gently.

“I doubt that,” she sighed and straightened up.

“Where’s that Blake appetite I’m used to? You haven’t touched your food,” he nudged her shoulder gently. “Eat up!” 

Madi started to eat which earned her a smile from Ethan.

  
\----------------------------- 

  
Talking and hanging out with Ethan made Madi feel better than she had in the last couple of weeks. She didn’t dare to go study in the library after she left the food hall. She instead decided o try and study in her studio. She stopped at Walmart on her way to her studio to pick up snacks to get her through her night of studying. She started to walk down the hall of the level her studio was on. Sitting against the wall near the door to her studio was Cole, he stood up as soon as he saw her. 

“We need to talk,” Cole half growled at her as she made it to the door.

Madi nodded and unlocked the door to the studio, letting him in. Madi closed the door slowly and turned to find Cole standing close behind her. He was close enough to her that she could smell his intoxicating deodorant. The intoxicating scent engulfed her.

“Are you pregnant?” He spoke through his teeth as his eyes bore into her.

“No,” she whispered shakily.

“Why are you lying to me?” He growled louder. “Rachel told me about the tests.”

“I’m not pregnant anymore,” she whispered closing her eyes.

“You got an abortion before you even told me?” He growled louder as he got closer to her.

“No,” she slipped passed him and grabbed a piece off the table, handing it to him. “The clinic said that the embryo didn't implant properly, it wasn’t a viable pregnancy."

“You had a miscarriage?” His voice dropped to a soft, gentle tone as Madi leant against the table.

“Yeah,” Her voice cracked in its whisper as tears stung her eyes.

Watching his face fall made her chest ache painfully. All she wanted was Cole to wrap his arms around her, kiss the top of her head and tell her everything was going to be okay.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked quietly and sniffed as his eyes started to glaze over with tears.

“I couldn’t,” her voice came out as a sob and she covered her face.

Cole immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly and she sobbed into his chest. He pressed a kissed the top of her head gently. Having him hold her eased the ache in her chest and she finally felt like her world was calm. He rubbed her back gently and she relaxed in his arms as her tears ran down her cheeks, wetting his shirt.

Her calm was disrupted when his phone started to ring. He sighed loudly as he unwrapped his arms from her and stepped back. 

“I need to answer this,” he mumbled as he walked out of the studio.

Madi sighed and sat down on the couch. She could hear Cole’s muffled voice telling whoever he was on the phone with that he would be here soon. He slipped back into the studio and leant against the door, biting his lip. She knew he was torn about leaving.

“It’s okay, go,” Madi mumbled and brought one of her knees to her chest.

“Are you sure?” Cole asked in a whisper.

“Yeah,” she mumbled and rested her chin on her knee.

He wiped the tip of his nose, watching her carefully but she couldn’t look at him. 

“You can still call me if you need me,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” she looked up at him slowly to watch him leave.

Madi just laid curled up on the couch, staring at the wall. She knew she wouldn’t be able to study so she just laid there.

  
\----------------------- 

  
Madi missed his touch, she didn’t realise how much she actually missed it until he left her studio. She never fully understood how calm he made everything until he walked out of the studio. If the few weeks after they broke up were bad, the week that followed after Cole found out about the miscarriage was worse. Her world felt like it was in a dark spiral, it felt empty and it left her mind spinning. She had made it through her finals just, it took all of her energy to focus on them and not everything else going on in her life. She just had to get through her showcase for her painting essentials class, she was thankful she had finished her piece before Thanksgiving, she didn’t think she would’ve been able to finish it. 

Madi grabbed her coffee order and walked out of the coffee shop towards the dorms to hand in her key. She wasn’t looking forward to spending winter break alone, Aurora was still trying to convince her to come home for the break. Madi wasn’t too sure what she was going to do but she knew she needed to make her mind up.

Madi handed in her key and started to walk towards the food hall, she saw Drew coming towards her. Madi picked up her pace and took the stairs to the food hall two at a time.

“Madi,” Drew half growled as he grabbed her arm.

“What Drew?” Madi snapped and glared at him. “I’m not interested. I don’t want to date you. I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want to do anything with you.”

Drew tightened his grip on her arm and narrowed his eyes at her. Nobody has denied Drew before and he obviously didn’t like it.

“Let go of me, Drew,” she growled at him but he just squeezed her arm tighter.

“She told you to let go of her,” Cole’s voice growled from behind her.

“She’s not your girlfriend anymore,” Drew growled as he pulled Madi slightly.

“It doesn’t matter, she said no,” Cole grabbed Drew’s wrist to make him let go of her.

Drew growled and stormed away, leaving Madi shaking slightly.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked softly as he watched her carefully.

Madi couldn’t answer, she just nodded but was still shaking slightly. Cole pulled her into a tight hug and she continued to shake against him for a few moments. The feeling of his arms around her soothed her anxiety. 

Madi pulled away slowly once she had calmed down. Cole brushed her hair out of her face.

“Has he been bothering you a lot?” He asked quietly.

“It’s only been a few times, I’ve gotten good at avoiding him,” she mumbled quietly. “Thank you.”

“How have you been? After the…” he dropped his voice even quieter, not able to say the word.

“The clinic gave me the all-clear,” she mumbled quietly and could see a pained look come across his face.

“I have a study group to get for my last final,” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Good luck,” she whispered and crossed her arms across her chest.

“Thanks,” he gave her a small nod before he walked away.

Madi watched him leave and the ache in chest grew worse the further he walked away.

  
\------------------------------- 

Madi sighed as she walked into her studio after her showcase for painting essentials class. It had gone well but now she didn’t have anything to throw her focus on. She threw herself down on her couch with a loud sigh. Her phone started to ring and she saw Theo’s name flashing on her phone. She had been avoiding most calls from her family except from her siblings.

“Hey Theo,” Madi answered quietly.

“Madz, please come home for break, nan said you weren’t coming home,” Theo’s voice sounded slightly panicked and Madi knew immediately that something was wrong.

“What’s wrong? What’s happened?” She frowned and sat up immediately.

“Everything has turned to shit, Madz,” His voice broke as he spoke. “Mom and Dad are fighting like no tomorrow, Mini’s acting out, Jules is refusing to go to his appointments for his ears because he’s angry with Mom and Dad. I need you here Madz, please.”

“I’ll be there in the morning,” Her heart broke to hear her brother on the verge of tears.

“I think I did something bad,” he admitted with a sob and fear-filled Madi. 

“Theo, what did you do?” She started to panic and shove clothes into a backpack. 

“I really need you here, Madi,” he sobbed loudly.

“Theo, I’m leaving right now, what did you do? You need to tell me,” she threw her backpack on and rushed out of her studio.

“I’ve drunk a lot,” he sobbed loudly and she could hear rustling.

“Where are you?” she had gotten downstairs and gotten into her car.

“I don’t know where,” he sobbed loudly.

“Theo, I’m going to track your phone,” she put her phone on the loudspeaker and used find my phone knowing his phone was linked to her account. 

It showed her that Theo was at a house on the other side of her home town.

“Theo, I’m going to call uncle Jasper, he’s going to pick you up,” she explained and turned her car on. “I’ll be home in a couple of hours.”

“Thank you,” He sobbed louder.

  
\----------------------- 

  
Madi had made the three-hour drive in 2 and a half hours, she was lucky she didn’t get a speeding ticket. When she got there she just went straight up to Theo’s room and found him in bed crying. Madi crawled into bed with him and pulled him into her arms.

“I’m here, Theo,” Madi whispered and kissed the top of his head. “I’m here.”

Theo just cried into her chest, she knew her brother was drunk and emotional with everything that had been happening with their family. After a little while, he fell asleep in her arms and Madi fell asleep soon after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Enjoy the new chapter!

Madi woke up before Theo and went downstairs to get coffee. She walked into the kitchen silently and grabbed a cup of coffee. Madi could hear the twins in the basement watching tv and she walked downstairs slowly. Both boys’ face lit up when they saw her come down the stairs. 

“Madi!” Augustus squealed as he ran to hug her. 

Madi hugged both twins and kissed the top of their heads. 

“We missed you!” Augustus announced loudly as Madi walked to the lounge and sat down, putting her coffee on the table. 

‘Where’s Cole?’ Julian frowned deeply as he watched Madi. 

‘We broke up,’ Madi signed with a sigh. ‘Theo told me that you’re not going to your doctor’s appointments, what’s up with that?’ 

‘Mom and Dad made you leave,’ Julian frowned as he signed. 

‘That is between me, Mom and Dad,’ she sighed deeply. ‘You need to go to your appointments.’ 

‘I don’t want to,’ Julian frowned deeper. 

‘I’ll come with you but you have to go,’ she raised her eyebrow at Julian who just nodded slowly. 

‘Fine but I’m still mad at Mom and Dad,’ Julian frowned with a huff. 

“I’m mad at them too,” Augustus crossed his arms with a frown. 

“What happened at Thanksgiving is between me and Mom and Dad. Not you guys okay?” Madi put her arms around them and pulled them into her sides. “Don’t hold a grudge against them over this.” 

“Boys! Breakfast will be ready in 5!” Clarke’s voice called out from the top of the stairs. “Jules we have your appointment after breakfast.” 

‘I need to go talk to them,’ Madi signed and got up. 

Madi walked upstairs slowly and prepared herself to face her parents. She crossed her arms and walked into the kitchen. 

“Madi!” Clarke’s voice was full of excitement as she went to go hug Madi but stopped when she saw the look on her daughter’s face. 

“Hi, Mom, Dad,” Madi spoke stiffly and hugged herself tighter. 

“Hey baby girl,” Bellamy’s tone was defeated as Madi looked down. 

“Is Cole with you?” Clarke asked quietly and sat on one of the bar stools. 

“We broke up,” Madi spoke quietly as she leant against the wall. 

“Because of what happened at Thanksgiving?” Bellamy asked with a sigh. 

“Yeah, Dad,” Madi frowned deeply and looked up at her parents. “I expected you and Mom to understand, love and support me but you guys did the exact opposite,” she turned to look at her Mom. “You didn’t even try to stop dad or stand up for me. You just let him say all of those things.” 

Madi had tears in her eyes as she spoke and she had started to shake slightly. 

“We were already engaged, so yeah dad I was stupid enough to get engaged to him,” Madi wiped her eyes slowly. 

“Madi…” Bellamy sighed quietly but Madi cut him off. 

“That’s not why I came back, you guys have got to stop bickering,” Madi stiffened up and tried her best to shut off her emotions. “I’ll be taking Jules to his appointment after breakfast, leave Theo to sleep, he had a rough night and I’ll talk to Mini when I get back,” Madi spoke coldly and ran her hands through her hair. 

“Madi, can we talk about this?” Clarke asked as she got up slowly. 

“Not right now,” Madi shook her head and went to get herself a cup of coffee. “Auggie! Come up with Jules, we’ve got to go soon!” 

Madi got her coffee and went upstairs to get dressed for the day. 

\--------------------------- 

Madi had taken Julian to his appointment and got him fitted for his new hearing aid. She brought him home and went upstairs to Minerva’s room. Madi was on a mission to get her family back to normal, she needed that part of her life to be normal because nothing else was. Madi walked into Minerva’s room to find her sister in bed. 

“I thought you were over your rebellious bitch phase,” Madi sighed and got into bed with Minerva. 

“All they’ve been doing is bickering and thanksgiving was horrible,” Minerva groaned as she turned around to face Madi. 

“I know,” Madi sighed and hugged her sister. “But you need to be there for Theo and the twins.” 

“Is Theo okay? I heard him crying last night,” Minerva bit her lip slowly. 

“He will be, he just overwhelmed by everything,” Madi explained quietly. “When I go back, you need to be there for him.” 

“When are you leaving?” Minerva frowned deeply. 

“Not until after New Years,” Madi reassured with a quietly. 

“Have you and Cole got much planned?” Minerva asked innocently, Madi regretted not telling at least her siblings earlier. 

“We broke up,” Madi’s voice broke as she spoke. 

Minerva pulled her sister into a tight hug and Madi couldn’t stop her tears from flowing. After a few minutes, Madi pulled away slowly. 

“I’m sorry Madi,” Minerva whispered. “Are you okay?” 

“No,” Madi sighed sitting up, wiping her tears away. “But I will be… eventually.” 

Minerva sat up and hugged her sister tightly. 

\--------------------------------- 

Madi had barely spoken to her parents in the two weeks since she had been back. She had called Anya and had been taking shifts at the bar to keep busy. The emptiness in her chest was still ever-present but staying occupied kept her mind off it. 

The bar was quiet but it wasn’t surprising considering it was Christmas eve. The kitchen had closed an hour ago so it was just her, Anya and security were the only staff there. Madi sighed and wiped down the bar. 

“Want to talk about it?” Anya asked quietly as she walked over to Madi. 

“Nope,” Madi shook her head quickly. “I’m fine.” 

“Madi,” Anya lowered her voice into a serious told which let Madi know she wasn’t going to give up until she knew what was going on. 

“We’re not together anymore there’s nothing else to it. He’s moved on and I’m just me,” Madi sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. 

“And with your parents?” Anya narrowed her eyes and raised her eyebrow at the younger female. 

“Were monumental assholes instead of being their loving supporting selves. That’s a wound that’s going to take a lot of time to heal,” Madi explained got another beer for a regular customer. “Here you go,” she gave the beer to the customer and he walked back to his table. “They fucked up and it’s going to take time for me to forgive them.” 

“I’m here if you need it,” Anya patted Madi’s back with a grim smile. 

“Thanks, Anya,” Madi gave her a small smile. “I’m going to start taking the trash out, get a head start on closing up.” 

“Good idea,” Anya nodded slowly. “Hopefully we’ll get out early.” 

“That’s the idea,” Madi gave Anya a tight smile before she headed to the back room. 

Madi grabbed a crate of empty bottles and started to carry it out the back of the bar. She sighed and added the crate to the pile out the back. Her phone started to ring as she straightened up and she frowned slightly when she saw Cole’s name flashing on the screen. Her chest started to ache and she felt torn about answering the call or not. A heavy sigh left her lips as she answered the phone. 

“Hello?” She answered in a quiet shaky voice. 

“Why?” Cole’s voice broke as he spoke. 

“I had to,” she managed to get out as tears started to well up in her eyes. 

“No you didn’t, we could’ve,” his voice was so broken and defeated. “Fuck you, Madi,” he was angry now and she deserved it. “Fuck you.” 

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed quietly, not able to hold back her emotions. 

“Fuck you,” he snapped and his words slightly slurred. 

“I’m sorry Cole,” she sobbed quietly and leant against the wall. 

“I wish I could hate you but I love you too much,” he slurred before hanging up. 

Madi closed her eyes and let her tears flow down her cheeks. His words sinking in, he wanted to hate her and she couldn’t blame him. She broke his heart, no matter what her reason was, she hurt him. It broke her heart to hear him say those words. She felt even worse which she didn’t even think was possible. 

She gave herself a few minutes to try and calm down before she went back to work. She kept herself busy so she didn’t think about what Cole had said. They were able to leave almost an hour before they usually would after closing. Anya walked Madi to her car after they locked up. 

“Merry Christmas Madi,” Anya smiled and hugged Madi tightly. 

“Merry Christmas,” Madi whispered and hugged Anya back. “Enjoy your Christmas and don’t even think about this place tomorrow, I’ll be here for the night shift.” 

“Thank you for covering for me tomorrow,” Anya smiled and pulled away from the hug as the snow started to fall heavier. 

“You deserve to have the day off to enjoy the holiday with your family,” Madi smiled slowly and brushed the snow off her forehead. “You better get going before the snow gets any worse.” 

“Have a good Christmas,” Anya smiled and walked to her car. 

Madi got into her car and sat there for a few minutes, she watched Anya drive off before getting her phone out. She looked at Cole number on her phone. She wanted to call him but she didn’t want to cause him more pain. She sunk into her seat and dialled his number. 

“Hey it’s Cole, I’m not answering my phone so leave me a message telling me what you want,” His voicemail made her chest ache. 

“I’m sorry I hurt you but I couldn’t let you give up your future because of me. I love you too much to let you give that up,” A quiet sob left her lips. “Right now fucking sucks but you’ll be okay,” she whispered before hanging up. 

She threw her phone onto her passenger seat and put her head on her steering wheel with a groan. 

“You’re a fucking idiot Madi Blake,” she groaned and before straightening up to drive home, it was almost three in the morning. 

She took her time driving home in the snow and she collapsed into bed as soon as she got home. 

\------------------------------- 

Madi was woken up by Augustus and Julian on her excitedly. They had done this every Christmas morning since they were four. Madi groaned and opened her eyes to see that it was almost 8 am, later than she expected it to be. 

“Come on breakfast is ready,” Augustus pulled Madi up by her arm. 

“Okay okay,” Madi groaned loudly and rubbed her eyes. “I’ll get dressed and come down.” She spoke and signed. 

The boys just ran back out of the room excited as Madi slid out of her bed. She stretched and grabbed her phone as it vibrated with a message. 

_ Cole 3:20 am: You don’t get to decide what’s best for me. _

_ Cole 3:21 am: Nothing would’ve changed if we had stayed together. _

_ Cole 3:25 am: I could’ve gotten a job to pay my tuition. _

_ Cole 3:30am: Madi please reconsider. I can get a job to pay for my tuition. _

_ Cole 7:37 am: I wish we could just go back in time and not told our parents. _

_ Cole 7:50 am: I love you Madi. Nothing will ever change that. _

_ Cole 7:56 am: Maybe what’s done is done. Maybe it’s for the best. I just can’t see it yet. I can’t see you for a while, it hurts too much. When we get back to campus, I think it would be best if we avoid each other. _

God her chest hurt reading those messages. Madi had to build up her walls again. She needed to get back to how she was before she let Cole break down her walls. 

Madi got dressed slowly and walked downstairs. Her whole family were downstairs eating breakfast. 

“Madi, it’s so good to see you!” Ellie was the first one to get up and hug Madi. 

“It’s good to see you to GG,” Madi mumbled and hugged her grandmother. 

“You okay?” Ellie pulled back slowly with a slight frown. 

Madi just nodded slowly and crossed her arms. The sadness that blanketed her felt suffocating. 

“Here’s some coffee,” Clarke handed Madi a mug of coffee. 

“Thanks, Mom, I need a few minutes to wake up, I’m just going to sit outside and have my coffee,” Madi mumbled before walking out the front door. 

Madi sat on a chair on the front porch and palmed her mug of coffee, letting it warm her hands. She stared at the white snow blanketing the front yard of their home. The problem was that it didn’t feel like home anymore. Nothing felt quite right anymore. She felt empty like a part of her was missing. 

Madi couldn’t help the sigh leaving her lips when her mom walked out and sat next to her. Clarke put a blanket around Madi’s shoulders. 

“I know you don’t want to talk to me, I don’t blame you,” Clarke sighed quietly. “At Thanksgiving, I wasn’t supportive or even nice about it, I should’ve stopped your dad from going off like that. I’m sorry, Madi,” her voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I hate seeing you like this, I wish I could stop the pain you’re feeling right now. I wish I could be a better mother, I’ve been a horrible mother.” 

“You acted shitty in that situation but it doesn’t mean that doesn’t mean you’re a horrible mom. It sucks the way that you guys reacted and horrible things were said,” Madi took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. “You’re not a bad mom.” 

Madi put her coffee on the ground before hugging her Mom. Madi knew how bad her Mom was feeling and she didn’t want her to feel like a horrible mother because she reacted in a shitty way. 

“I love you Mom,” Madi whispered as she hugged her tighter. 

“I love you too Madi, even though my reaction might not always show it, I’ll always stand by you no matter what you do,” Clarke spoke quietly and pulled away from the hug. “Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?” 

“Not really, it’ll just take time,” Madi sighed and ran her hand through her hair. 

“Have you spoken to him?” Clarke as quietly as Madi picked up her coffee again. 

“Not properly, he doesn’t want to see me. Don’t blame him,” Madi took a sip of her coffee. “I don’t really want to talk about it. Let’s just get inside and start this Christmas.” 

Madi got up slowly and walked inside with Clarke. She didn’t want to ruin Christmas for everyone. 

\-------------------------------------------- 

Madi tried to close off the sadness and enjoy the day but it was hard, everything reminded her of Cole and what she no longer had with him. The hardest part of the day was when Lincoln and Octavia announced they were expecting a baby. Madi didn’t expect to be so affected but she was, Octavia was a little further along than Madi would’ve of been. She managed to slip away from everyone and go outside to get fresh air. It was hard to see what could’ve been. Madi sat down on one of the chairs on the back porch with a quiet sigh as tears started to sting her eyes. Was it fair for her to grieve something she didn’t want? 

“You snuck away hobbit,” Murphy’s voice broke Madi out of her thoughts. 

“I thought no one saw me, Doo doo,” Madi sighed and wiped her eyes slowly. 

“He wasn’t the only one who saw you,” Raven spoke up as she sat on the seat diagonal from Madi with Murphy following suit. 

“Are you okay Hobbit?” Murphy asked quietly as he watched her. 

“I’m fine,” Madi whispered and pulled her knees up to her chest. 

“We know you, Madi,” Raven spoke quietly and watched her niece carefully. 

“I’ll fine, guys,” Madi sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m just not feeling great with everything going on.” 

“I’m sorry Madz,” Raven sighed moving so she could sit next to Madi and hug her. 

“I thought it was supposed to get better the more time that passes but I just feel worse every day,” Madi sobbed into her aunt’s chest. 

“Madz,” Raven whispered and hugged Madi tighter letting her cry into her chest. 

“It feels like a part of me has been ripped away and I feel like I’m never going to feel normal again,” Madi sobbed quietly before pulling away slowly. “I’m sorry,” she wiped her tears away. 

“It’s okay, Madz, you can talk about it,” Murphy spoke in a surprisingly soft tone. 

“I don’t want to ruin Christmas,” Madi shook her head slowly. “I need to get ready for work.” 

Madi stood up slowly and walked inside before they could say anything. Madi went upstairs to her room and started to get ready. She was mentally trying to build up her walls to block the pain. 

\------------------------------------- 

Madi sighed as she walked out of the bar at the end of her shift. It was new years eve and she had managed to build up her walls enough to block out most of the pain. Now she just felt numb. She got into her car and turned the heater on to warm up. It was almost 5 am, she had worked a double shift, cover for someone who had called in sick. She knew they were probably lying but Anya would deal with them. She was tired but her phone ringing made her suddenly feel more awake. She looked at her phone with a frown when she saw Cole’s name flashing on the screen. She hit answer and tentatively put the phone to her ear. 

“Madi?” Cole’s voice told her that he was drunk. “I need your help.” 

“Cole, are you okay?” Concern filled Madi as she listened to him. 

“Can you pick me up? I’m at a party in the middle of nowhere and I don’t know how to get home,” he slurred. 

“Send me your location and I’ll be right there,” She wanted to help him and honestly would do anything to help me. 

“Thank you,” he slurred and hung up. 

Madi yawned as she received the location from Cole. It was almost a 45-minute drive away. 

_ Madi: I’ll be there in about 45 minutes _

_ Cole: Okay. _

Madi yawned and started to drive to Cole, he was literally in the middle of nowhere. Madi sighed as she turned down the dirt road to the location Cole had sent her. It was almost 6 am and she was exhausted, knowing she wasn’t going to see her bed until just before 8 am. She couldn’t see Cole when she first pulled up, the sun hadn’t risen yet but she could see the glow of bonfires through the trees. 

Madi sighed grabbing her jacket before getting out to try and find Cole. She walked towards the glow in the hopes of finding him. She passed a car that had sleeping bodies in it. There were still people partying but she still could locate Cole. She frowned when she saw familiar dark hair and build tangled up with a petite blonde by the fire. Their lips locked and it made Madi’s chest ache but she quickly closed off her walls. She walked behind them and cleared her throat, making the couple jump. 

“Shit!” Cole growled shocked as he turned to look at Madi. “Madi? What are you doing here?” He frowned deeply. 

“You called me an hour ago to come pick you up,” Madi sighed and rubbed her forehead. 

“Well he’s not interested,” The blonde snapped loudly as she narrowed her eyes at Madi. 

“Do you want a ride Cole or not?” Madi sighed frustrated, she was exhausted and just wanted to go bed. 

“He doesn’t want to go with you, don’t you get it?” The girl sneered and tried to get Cole’s attention back on her. 

“You either want a ride or not,” Madi was getting more annoyed when Cole didn’t answer. “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes as she turned on her heels and walked away. 

“Madi, wait,” Cole followed Madi and grabbed her arm to stop her. “Why did you come?” 

“You called me, drunk, you asked me to do you a favour and come pick you up. So here I am,” Madi through her hands up with a sigh. 

“Thanks, but-,” he nodded his head towards the girl behind him. 

“Whatever,” She sighed and turned back so she could continue walking back to her car. 

“Blake! What are you doing here?” Ethan laughed as he jogged to keep up with Madi’s quick pace. 

“Cole called me, asking to pick him up. Now he doesn’t want to be picked up,” she sighed and stopped walking. 

“Are you okay?” Ethan frowned slightly, watching Madi. 

“I’m exhausted, I had just finished a double shift at the bar when Cole called,” she sighed quietly before she yawned. 

“Instead of making this drive a waste of time, can you drive me home?” He gave her a drunk happy smile. 

“Yeah, come on,” she nodded her head towards where her car was parked. 

\----------------------------- 

Ethan had fallen asleep in the car and Madi had to wake him up when they got to his house. She made sure he got in okay before she left to go home. She felt like her eyes were hanging out of her head when she got home. She walked into the house like a zombie and ignored the questions from her parents. 

“Madi, why are you just getting home now?” Clarke asked as she followed her daughter to her room. 

“Ethan called me to pick him up, he couldn’t get a uber,” Madi groaned loudly. “Can we talk about this later? I just want to sleep.” 

“Okay baby,” Clarke kissed her daughter’s head gently. 

Madi closed the door after her mother left before stripping off and climbed into bed. Her eyes had just drifted shut when her phone started to ring loudly. She groaned loudly and grabbed her phone to see Cole’s name flashing on the screen. 

“I just got home, I’m not coming to pick you up,” Madi spoke coldly as she answered, she wasn’t in the mood. 

“You shouldn't have come," Cole spoke in an equally cold tone.

"You called me saying you needed help, I'm not just going to ignore that," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't want to argue about this, I just want to go to sleep."

Madi hung up before putting her phone on silent so she could sleep. She probably shouldn't have hung up on him but she was beyond exhausted and frustrated.

\------------------------------------- 

Madi was maximizing the time she had with her family before she went back to campus. They were going to have a big family movie night with her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents before she went back to campus the next morning. She hadn't spoken to Cole since she hung up on him on new years day and she had managed to fortify her walls in the meantime. The twins had convinced had bugged her all morning to take them ice skating until she finally gave in when she finished her coffee. She drove them out the frozen lake they always skated on every winter, the boys raced out of the car to go put their skates on and hit the ice.

_ Ethan 10:35 am: What are you doing Blake? _

_ Madi 10:37 am: Ice skating with my little brothers. _

_ Ethan 10:38 am: At the lake outside of town? _

_ Madi 10:38 am: Yep. _

Madi put her phone in her jacket pocket and got out of her car with her skates. She walked down to the log the twins were sitting, lacing up their skates. Within a few minutes, the three of them were out on the ice and the twins were immediately distracted by racing each other around the lake. Madi always loved how calm and quiet it was outside in winter. They were lucky to have the lake to themselves, for now, it was usually a lot busier but this morning was a lot colder than usual which made most people stay inside. The boys didn't mind the cold, they just rugged up a bit more and were ready to go.

"Fancy seeing you here," Ethan's voice made Madi turn around only to be engulfed in a hug from him.

"Careful, you're gonna me fall," Madi giggled as she almost slipped but Ethan steadied her.

"Thanks for driving my drunk ass home the other day," He smiled as he pulled away from her slowly. "I haven't been out here in forever."

"The boys love coming here to skate," she smiled slowly and turned so she could check on the twins, the two boys were making a beeline towards Madi.

'Who's that?' Julian signed with a deep frown.

"Jules, Gus, this is my friend Ethan," She spoke and signed watching the two boys frown looking up at the old boy in front of them. "Ethan, these are my little brothers Jules and Gus."

"Is he your new boyfriend?" Augustus frowned deeply as he sized up Ethan.

"No he's my friend," Madi laughed quietly shaking her head.

'Good,' Julian signed with a deep frown.

"Your sister and I are Bacon buddies," Ethan laughed quietly which made the twins start to sign rapidly to each other. "Is it okay if I skate with you guys?"

"It's a free country," Augustus shrugged slowly and gave Ethan a sarcastic look.

'He's an idiot,' Julian signed to Augustus while giving Ethan the side-eye.

'Ethan the idiot,' Augustus signed back.

"Go skate before I tell mom and dad that you're being rude to my friend," Madi spoke and signed as she narrowed her eyes at her little brothers, letting them know she meant business.

"Fine," Augustus rolled his eyes and skated off with Julian.

"Do I want to know what they were saying about me?" Ethan raised his eyebrow slowly at Madi with a smirk.

"They were calling you Ethan the idiot, I'm sorry they were rude," Mad rubbed the back of her neck as the started to skate again.

"Nah it's cool, how have you been?" He asked quietly.

"I've been good, not ready to go back to classes," She laughed quietly as she adjusted her beanie.

"Me either, we're having a welcome back party at the Alpha house, you should come," he smiled as he started to skate around her.

"I shouldn't, Cole asked me to avoid him for a while on campus," She shrugged slowly and stopped skating. "I'll avoid him for a while."

"Just come, he'll be too drunk to care," he shrugged slowly and stopped in front of her.

"I'll come to another one later, I really don't want to deal with Drew either," she shivered at the thought of Drew. "He keeps getting creepier."

"I really wanted to see drunk Madi," he fake pouted at her.

"Aww poor baby," she stuck her tongue out to him and he retaliated by pushing her gently but it was enough to make her slip over, hitting the ice hard.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he stuttered.

"It's fine, help me up," she giggled loudly and held her hand out only to pull him down when he took it.

"Screw you, Blake," He groaned loudly, just making Madi laugh louder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 16!  
enjoy!

Madi couldn't be happier with her new dorm room, she had managed to score a single which meant she no longer had to deal with a bitchy roommate. She was able to actually feel like the space was hers. She was also on the top floor which meant she wad away from Cole's conquests on her old floor. She hung up a few of her favourite paintings which made the room feel more like hers. She was surprised that it didn't take her long to set up and it was just in time when Ethan messaged in the group chat they had with Rachel about meeting at the food hall.

Rachel 1:13 pm: Don't you dare make an excuse Madison Patrica Blake, you're coming.

Ethan 1:14 pm: Your middle name is Patrica?

Madi 1:14 pm: That's not my middle name. I'm on my way.

Rachel 1:15 pm: Was I close?

Madi 1:16 pm: Not even close. Madison isn't my full name either.

Rachel 1:17 pm: What is your full name then?

Madi 1:17 pm: Madi.

Rachel 1:18 pm: Middle name?

Madi laughed and shoved her phone into her jacket pocket before opening the door to her room. She was surprised to see a blonde-haired guy standing there ready to knock on her door. She couldn't help but let her eyes take in his muscular build under his tight grey sweater, her eyes made it back up to his face and she could see his piercing blue eyes giving her the once over as well. He was hot and Madi couldn't deny that.

"Sorry I'm Noah, I'm in the room next door," Noah smiled brightly at her. "I just wanted to come introduce myself but now I look like a creep standing in the doorway," he laughed nervously.

"No it's okay, I'm Madi, it's nice to meet you," She laughed quietly and pushed her hair behind her ear. 

"I can see you were on your way out, I'll see you around," he smiled before turning to go back to his room directly next door.

Madi bit her lip gently as she watched him leave, this was definitely going to be interesting new room. She had completely forgotten that her new floor was completely co-ed. The sound of her phone going off a string of messages broke her out of her thoughts.

Ethan 1:26 pm: Ivy.

Rachel 1:26 pm: It's Rose.

Ethan 1:26 pm: Lily.

Rachel 1:26 pm: Eve.

Ethan 1:26 pm: Lucy.

Madi 1:27 pm: I'm on my way.

Madi shook her head and started to walk towards the stairs. 

\-------------------------------- 

The three of them had made themselves comfortable in the food hall, Madi kind of felt like a third wheel with Rachel and Ethan being all lovey-dovey. She now understood how Ethan must've felt with her and Cole. Madi didn't expect the chair beside her to be pulled out and Cole to plop down into it, it made her stare at him kind of dumbfounded. He said they should avoid each other now he was coming to sit next to her, it didn't make sense to her. The ache in her chest was there but her walls had diminished it to a dull throb instead of the tearing, all-engulfing ache it used to be.

"Ethan told you about the party right?" Cole looked between Madi and Rachel with a raised eyebrow. "You’re coming right?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Rachel nodded slowly as she watched the confused look on Madi's face.

"Madi?" Cole turned his full gaze on Madi. "You're coming tonight right?"

"Yeah," Madi nodded slowly with a small shrug.

Satisfied with the answers, Cole got up from the table and walked out of the food hall. Madi sat there with a confused frown on her face.

"I'm confused," Madi mumbled quietly before shifting in her seat.

"He said he likes having you close even if he's not with you," Ethan shrugged slowly. "He's full of mixed emotions right now."

"I know the feeling," Madi mumbled and grabbed her coffee.

"Relax, we're going to have a fantastic time tonight, no more negativity," Rachel smiled widely. "I wanna see drunk Madi tonight."

"You're gonna see drunk Madi tonight, it's my mission," Ethan smirked.

"We're gonna get drunk and dance," Rachel shimmied making Madi laugh loudly and relax.

\------------------------------------------------ 

Madi walked into the party and made a beeline to the shots Ethan was lining up, she needed some liquid courage to help her tonight. After a few shots, Madi decided to see if she recognized anyone here besides her friends and Cole. She walked through the room where the music was blaring and managed to dodge Drew but ran into someone. She looked up to see Noah smirking down at her with a beer in his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," Madi had to practically shout for him to hear her.

"I can't hear you!" Noah grabbed her hand and led her out to the hallway. "I should be able to hear you now," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry for running into you, literally," She laughed quietly and rubbed the back of her neck.

"No harm, no foul," He chuckled and pushed his blonde hair back, out of his face. "I'm glad you ran into me, so I can make up for the shocking introduction today."

"It wasn't that bad," she giggled, she forgot how much alcohol made her giggly.

"You're a little tipsy aren't you?" He smirked slowly.

"A little," she raised her hand and pinched her fingers together to indicate a little, she laughed but stopped when she saw Drew coming out into the hallway. "Fuck," she mumbled when he started to make a beeline for Madi. "I need to go," she spoke quickly and slipped away into the crowd trying to get away from Drew.

“Hi Madi,” Drew smirked as he cornered Madi against the wall.

“Leave me alone, Drew,” Madi spoke through her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m really getting sick of you being such a stuck up bitch,” he growled as he got closer to her.

“Babe, there you are!” Noah’s voice took Madi by surprise as she felt him pull her into his side. “Drew, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t harass my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Why does she look like this is news to her?” Drew snarled and narrowed his eyes at the male in front of him.

“We didn’t plan on telling people yet but you kind of forced us,” Noah countered and pulled Madi closer.

Noah leant down and pressed his lips to Madi’s as he laced his fingers into her hair. Noah pressed Madi’s body against the wall as he deepened the kiss. Madi could hear Drew huff and Noah pulled away from the kiss.

“Sorry about that,” Noah smirked as his hand travelled to rest on her waist.

“Thanks for getting Drew off my back,” Madi smiled and brushed his hair behind his ear.

“I know how to deal with my brother,” he chuckled and pulled her in closer.

“like frat brother or actual brother?” She raised her eyebrow at him with a small smirk.

“Actual brother,” he chuckled and leant in closer to her.

He used his free hand to lace his free hand into her hair. He leant in and gave her a timid, gentle kiss. She surrendered to the kiss and let him pull her closer as he deepened the kiss. After a few moments, he pulled away with a small smile.

“Hey, Madi!” Rachel’s voice called out.

Madi turned her head to see Rachel walking toward them.

“Cole’s looking for you,” Rachel smiled before turning to Noah. “Hey, hot stuff.”

“I should go find him,” Madi sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

“Come find me later?” Noah smiled as his thumb tapped on her waist.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded before going to find Cole.

Madi found Cole on her second loop of the party, he was sitting on one of the couches with the same girl from the new years eve party on his lap.

“Rachel said you were looking for me,” Madi spoke up and shoved her hands into the pocket of her jeans.

“You need to go,” Cole spoke harshly as he narrowed his eyes at Madi. “I only invited you because you were there with Rachel.”

“Okay,” Madi said quietly trying to hide the fact that she was hurt by his words.

“You need to stop hanging out with my friends, I meant it when I said you need to stay away from me,” he glared at her. “Ethan’s my best friend and Rachel is my friend. Come to think of it you didn’t have any friends before you started dating me.”

Way to kick a girl when she’s down, Madi thought as she pulled her hands out of her pocket.

“Wow you really are sad,” the girl on his lap laughed loudly.

Madi narrowed her eyes at Cole and lifted her hands up slowly.

‘Fuck you, Cole,’ Madi signed knowing he definitely knew these signs and his face fell slightly watching her.

Madi turned on her heels and made a beeline for the door but was caught by Rachel.

“Woah, what happened?” Rachel frowned deeply.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ve got to go,” Madi shook her head slowly.

Madi walked out of the house, grabbing her jacket on the way out. She shoved her beanie on and crossed her arms as the snow fell.

“Madi!” Noah called out after her. “Let me take you home, I’ll get us an uber,” he grabbed her hand, turning her around and drawing her into a deep kiss.

Madi melted into the kiss, she needed this sense of comfort and affection. Guilt started to settle down over her and she pulled back from the kiss slowly.

"I need to go," Madi mumbled and turned on heels quickly, walking down the street fast.

She felt like she was betraying Cole, her heart belonged to him and she knew it always would. He was so harsh tonight, she knew she should've come tonight, she should've avoided him like he asked. The harshest thing about what he said was that it was true, she didn't really have any friends before she started dating him.

\-----------------------

Madi sighed and settled into bed, her head slightly spinning from the alcohol and the events of the night. She curled up and bit her lip slowly, she felt like shit. She ignores the messages from Rachel and Ethan, she didn't even look at the one from Cole, she didn't want to be kicked even more. The sound of someone knocking on the door made Madi groaned loudly, pulling herself out of bed and over to the door. She opened the door slowly to find Noah standing in front of her with his hand shoved into his pockets.

"Hey I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Noah sighed quietly.

"Hey no it's okay, it wasn't you," Madi sighed and ran her hand through her hair slowly.

"I'm assuming it has something to do with this Cole person," he shifted his weight ** ** from foot to foot as he watched her carefully.

"It's a long story," She bit her lip gently. "Do you want to come in?" 

Madi moved aside and let Noah walk into her room, he sat tentatively on her desk chair as she closed the door. Madi lent against her bed awkwardly as she watched his eyes travel up her bare legs. Madi realized exactly was she was wearing and her cheeks flushed red. She was only wearing a t-shirt and her panties.

"I just realized I'm half-naked," Madi laughed awkwardly and grabbed a pair of sweats to pull on.

"I wasn't minding the view," he smirked and stood up slowly, closing the space between them.

"I just got out of a relationship," she whispered looking up at him. "I'm not ready to get into anything yet."

"I'm patient," he smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear gently. "Can I kiss you in the meantime?" 

Before her mind could even catch up, she nodded slowly and he lent down kissing her gently.

"Goodnight Madi," He smiled as he pulled away from the kiss slowly before walking out of her room.

Madi watched him leave with a slight frown on her face, she was really confused now.

\------------------------------------------------- 

Madi walked out of the library three weeks after the frat party, she had messaged Ethan and Rachel what happened with Cole. Ethan and Rachel weren't going to listen to Cole's pissy demands and would hang out with Madi if they wanted to. Madi understood why they weren't going to listen to him but she also didn't want to hurt Cole even more. Things with Noah were complicated, he acted like her boyfriend without the title, she had turned him down when he asked her out on dates and when he asked to kiss her. She wasn't ready for it, the alcohol had masked her nerves and made her act without thinking. Every time Noah called her Babe, it sent a shiver down her spine. She liked Noah but she wasn't ready to even think about getting into another relationship or even intimate with someone else. Every time she told him she was ready, his response was a simple 'I'll wait'. She wasn't sure about her feelings and she wasn't ready to decide.

Madi walked from the library to the food hall with a yawn, she was working on a paper and needed some fuel to get her through the rest of it. She picked up some animal fries and took a corner table. She was surprised when she saw Cole making a beeline for her table with his tray of food. He put his tray down and sat opposite her.

"Hey," Cole gave a small smile before he started to eat.

"Hi," Madi spoke half sceptically as she watched him.

"What I can't eat with you?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"No that's fine, I'm just a little confused," She shifted in her seat as she watched him. "You wanted me to avoid you and now you're sitting with me voluntarily."

"I miss you," he shrugged. "Together or not, I still miss hanging out with you," he admitted quietly. "Can we at least try to be friends?"

"We can try," she agreed quietly and she felt her chest swell slightly.

Her world felt calmer, her mind was calmer, he made her world calm. God, she had missed this feeling of calm. She could feel the smile on her face forming and she couldn't stop it. 

"It's good to see that smile again," Cole gave her a genuine smile, he hadn't smiled like this since before they broke up.

"I've missed you too," she admitted quietly, it almost felt normal again.

"Madi!" Noah's voice broke the facade as he walked over to the table. "I got you a pineapple smoothie."

Noah sat next to Madi and tension blanketed the trio and immediately Madi wanted to run away from it.

"Madi's allergic to pineapple," Cole narrowed his eyes at Noah. 

"Hi, I'm Noah, Madi's..." Noah turned back to Madi slowly. "What would you call me babe?"

A shiver went down Madi's spine and she could tell that Cole noticed immediately because he tensed up.

"My neighbour," Madi spoke quietly, feeling more uncomfortable as Noah put his hand on her back.

"And you are?" Noah raised his eyebrow at Cole.

"Cole, Madi's ex-fiance," Cole countered and narrowed his eyes at Noah even more. "If you haven't noticed, you're making Madi uncomfortable, so maybe you should take your hand off her back and understand boundaries."

Noah scoffed and took a sip of the pineapple smoothie, narrowing his eyes.

"You're right, aren't you babe?" Noah tightened his arm around Madi and pressed a kiss to her temple, his lips still wet from the smoothie.

"Are you kidding me?" Madi practically jumped up and away from him. 

"What?" Noah half laughed, half scoffed.

“I’m allergic to pineapple, you idiot,” Madi growled and dug through her backpack for a wipe to get the smoothie residue off her face. 

Madi could feel the skin on her temple start to tingle and burn.

“I thought he was kidding babe,” Noah protested as he tried to reach out for her but she hit away his hand with a glare.

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped loudly, she knew the allergic reaction was coming and she knew it was going to be painful.

“I’ll drive to Walmart then take you home,” Cole spoke gently as he stood up.

“Thanks, Cole,” she whispered, putting her jacket on.

“Madi,” Noah got up and grabbed Madi’s arm.

“Do you realized what kind of pain you’re going to cause her for the next 24 hours?” Cole stepped in front of Noah. “Come on, Madi.”

Madi walked out with Cole to his car.

\-------------------------------------- 

Madi crawled into bed carefully, her whole left side of her face was swollen and tender. She discovered the allergy a few years ago when she tried pineapple for the first time, she was lucky enough that Octavia had an epi-pen because of Freya’s nut allergy. Madi’s throat had closed up within a few minutes of her eating one small piece. Cole had seen Madi’s allergic reaction mid-summer when he ate pineapple before picking her up after work. He had kissed her and her throat started to swell up, making her need to use her epi-pen. It had scared the living daylights out of Cole and he vowed off pineapple.

Cole pulled the blanket over her more causing Madi to give him a small smile.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” Madi whispered.

“It’s no problem,” Cole smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear. “You should get some sleep,” Cole smiled and sat down on her desk chair. 

“You don’t need to stay,” she watched him slowly.

“There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone right now,” he whispered and let out a shaky breath. “Madi, I’ve been a dickhead lately and I’m sorry.”

Madi immediately knew he was scared and she hated seeing the terrifying look on his face. She reached out and touched his cheek gently.

“We might not be together but you’re still my soul mate and we’ll find our way back,” He put his hand on hers on his cheek.

Madi leant forward and gave him a timid kiss. Cole kissed back deeper than the original kiss. Madi laced her fingers into his hair as he moved to climb on top of her. 

Finally, everything seemed right, she was with the man she loved. The one person that made everything in her life feel better.

Cole pulled the blanket from between them to close the space between them even more. His hands started to explore her body and Madi felt like it was lighting up like electricity. He deepened the kiss even more as his hand slipped into her pants causing her to moan against his lips.

Her moan triggered their clothes to come off in a flurry. Their passion had ignited and nothing would stop them. When he entered her, it felt like a puzzle fitting back into its place. Madi grabbed onto Cole and moaned loudly into his mouth. 

“Madi,” he moaned loudly as he turned her over so she was on top.

Madi rolled her hips with a loud moan as she deepened the kiss. She could feel herself starting to build up. Cole started to thrust up in time with her rolling her hips. Cole’s hands ran down her back to cup her ass. She sat up straight and picked up her pace. Something triggered in Cole, he grabbed her hips and thrust up into her hard.

Madi lost it, she leant back moaning loudly and started cum. She tightened around him causing him to dig his fingers into her hips, almost painfully causing her to cry out. He pulled her down into another long kiss as he thrust into her a few more times until he came undone inside her. He groaned into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her.

They stayed like that connected for a long time, Cole drew small circles on her back gently and kissed the top of her head gently.

“Madi, we need to talk,” Noah spoke as he burst into the room. 

Madi grabbed the blanket to shield them and Cole sat up keeping Madi protected behind him.

“Get the fuck out!” Cole shouted with a half growl.

Noah started to protest but this only made Cole angrier. 

“Why the hell are you bursting into her room without even knocking?” Cole growled loudly. “Get the fuck out!”

Noah backed up out of the room and shut the door. Madi didn’t realize she was holding onto Cole’s arm until he turned to look at her and gave her a reassuring kiss.

“You okay?” He asked quietly as he stroked her cheek.

Madi nodded slowly and Cole wrapped his arms around her before laying down. Madi cuddled into his side, relaxing as she laid her head on his chest.

“I know why you did it now,” Cole whispered and kissed the top of her head. “You did it for me, so I wouldn’t have to choose.”

Madi bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to cherish this moment with him in his arms.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered and his arms tightened around her.

“Right now isn’t the time for us to be together but I can’t go back to not having you in my life at all,” he whispered as he stroked her back. “I want us to be friends at least.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered and looked up him.

He smiled slowly and cupped her cheek. 

“Let me just hold you for a while longer,” he gave her one last gentle kiss.

He held her for another two hours until they almost fell asleep.

“I should go,” Cole sighed as he sat up slowly and got off the bed slowly. “I’ll see you tomorrow maybe?”

“Yeah, I’ll be around,” Madi sat up slowly.

Cole got dressed slowly as Madi walked over to her wardrobe to get her things to have a shower.

\---------------------------- 

Madi yawned as she walked into the drugstore, the swelling in her face had gone down but that wasn’t her reason to go to the drug store. She needed to get plan B, they didn’t use protection last night and she didn’t want to risk it. She walked down the aisle to the prescription counter and got the packet from the chemist. She took the first pill on her way back to the car. Her phone started to go off with messages.

_ Ethan 11:37 am: So lunch in the food hall? _

_ Rachel 11:38 am: Yes! They have tacos today! _

_ Ethan 11:38 am: Cole wants to come, is that okay? _

_ Madi 11:39 am: Yeah, no problem. I’m handing back to campus now and I need food. _

Madi found them all sitting at a table in the corner, she grabbed food and joined them at the table. She sat opposite Cole, who flashed her a smile as soon as she sat down.

“Look who decided to grace us with her presence,” Ethan smirked widely at her.

“I was off-campus, give me a break,” Madi rolled her eyes at him with a smile.

“So what are we doing this weekend?” Rachel asked quietly as she took a sip of her drink.

“There’s an anything but clothes party on Saturday,” Cole smirked as he looked at Madi.

“Sounds like fun,” Madi smiled feeling her cheeks burning red. 

“Please tell me it’s inside,” Rachel spoke up and Madi hummed agreeing.

“It is, it’s off-campus,” Cole explained quietly.

Madi spotted the girl she had seen Cole with at parties. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a wine red jacket. The girl made a beeline for Cole. She leant down and kissed Cole, taking him by surprise. Ethan and Rachel looked between the girl then Madi. The girl pulled away from the kiss with a smirk.

“Hi I’m Katie, Cole’s girlfriend,” The girl grinned widely at the group.

“Girlfriend huh?” Rachel spoke sceptically.

“Yeah, we’ve been seeing each over for a while now,” Cole spoke stiffly as Katie sat next to him.

Cole couldn’t look at Madi and tension blanketed the group. Madi’s attention was drawn to her phone as Noah flooded her phone with messages.

_ Noah 12:10 pm: Madi, I’m sorry that I burst into your room last night. _

_ Noah 12:10 pm: I didn’t expect you to be with him. _

_ Noah 12:11 pm: I thought we were starting something. _

_ Noah 12:11 pm: I thought you wanted to move on. _

_ Noah 12:12 pm: Sleeping with him isn’t moving on, it’s the exact opposite of moving on. _

_ Noah 12:12 pm: You didn’t even tell me you were engaged to him. _

_ Madi 12:13 pm: I didn’t tell you because it’s nobody else’s business. You can’t just burst into my room without knocking and you can’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t be doing to move on. That’s my business. I want you to leave me alone. _

Madi blocked his number with a sigh before putting on her jacket. 

“I’ve got to go,” Madi mumbled as she stood up.

“What’s going on?” Rachel frowned deeply.

“Noah has just reached a whole new level of creepy,” Madi sighed deeply. 

“What?” Cole frowned deeply as he finally looked at Madi.

“I’ll walk you back,” Rachel kissed Ethan before she got up. 

“Thanks, Rach,” Madi gave her a tight smile as they walked out together.

“Let’s see the messages,” Rachel spoke up as they walked out of the building.

“Uh…” Madi bit her lip as she started to walk across the quad. “I slept with Cole.”

“What? When?” Rachel looked at her with wide eyes.

“Last night, he was looking after me because Noah kissed my temple with pineapple smoothie on his lips after he was told I was allergic. Cole was helping me,” Madi rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

Madi felt her stomach churn and she knew the plan B was making her nauseous.

“Are you okay?” Rachel frowned worried.

“Yeah, I just didn’t expect Cole to be dating someone,” Madi spoke quietly. “Last night, everything felt calm and normal, I miss it.”

Rachel stopped and hugged her friend tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Madi had finished her outfit for the anything but clothes party. She had made a crop top and skirt from danger tape she had found at a hardware store. She hadn’t talked to Cole alone since she found out about Katie, she wasn’t mad about it surprisingly. Besides that, things were pretty normal in her life that last few days.

Madi ran her hand through her hair as she waited in line to order coffee. There had been a hold up in the line that made her pay attention to the commotion at the front of the line.

“I can’t understand you, sir,” the cashier spoke slowly in a frustrated voice.

Madi could see that the guy at the front of the line was trying to motion for pen and paper to write his order down. The cashier was glaring at the guy frustrated.

“Excuse me,” Madi spoke up and moved to the front of the line. “He’s asking for a pen and paper so he can write his order. You don’t need to be rude.”

The guy looked at Madi and tapped his ear to let him know he was deaf. Madi nodded slowly and offered him a small friendly smile.

‘I can help you order, what would you like?’ Madi signed with a smile and the guy seemed to relax instantly.

‘A black coffee, poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and whatever you want,’ His face lit up as he signed.

“Two black coffees and a poppy seed bagel with cream cheese,” Madi relayed to the cashier and handed her the cash to pay for it.

‘No I should pay,’ he shook his head slowly.

‘Too late,’ she signed with a smile as they moved over to the collection area.

‘Thank you, I’m Zane,’ he smiled and ran his hand through his shoulder-length sandy blonde hair.

‘I’m Madi, how long have you been on this campus?’ she smiled as their order came up, they picked up their order and headed to a free table.

‘Since the beginning of the semester, I have been too caught up in my classes that I haven’t been out much,’ He signed quickly. ‘I’ll need to remember to bring a notepad with me the next time I come here.’

‘Did you transfer over to here?’ She paused taking a sip of her coffee.

‘I had to wait for them to find me a translator, how do you know sign?’ He watched her carefully.

‘My little brother is deaf,’ She smiled sitting back slowly.

‘What do you study?’ he smiled watching her.

‘Art history, you?’ She put her coffee down slowly.

‘Education,’ he grinned widely.

‘Teacher, nice,’ She smiled widely.

Madi’s phone went off and she grabbed her phone to check her messages.

_ Rachel 3:30 pm: HELP! WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO WEAR TONIGHT! _

_ Madi 3:31 pm: Alright, meet me at my room. I’m heading back now. _

‘I’ve got to go help my friend, it was nice to meet you,’ she signed as she stood up.

‘It was nice to meet you, Madi,’ he smiled as he watched her. ‘Hopefully, I’ll see you around.’

‘Yeah, see you around Zane,’ she signed before walking out.

\--------------------------- 

Madi had spent the rest of her afternoon making Rachel a dress out of the same danger tape. Madi got the uber to the party with Ethan and Madi. They made a b-line to the shots when they got there, bypassing Cole and Katie. Ethan was wearing a beer box as his costume, matching Cole. Katie was wearing just enough duct tape just to make it appropriate.

Madi leant against the wall while Ethan got her and Rachel beer.

“So you and Cole slept together,” Ethan raised his eyebrow as he handed Madi a beer.

“You told him?” Madi glared at Rachel.

“I didn’t,” Rachel put her hands up.

“Cole told me,” Ethan shrugged slowly.

“We’re not talking about this,” Madi shook her head and took a sip of her beer. “He has a girlfriend, Ethan, talking about it will just cause trouble.”

“Hey guys,” Cole smiled as he walked up to them with his arm around Katie.

“We were just talking about you,” Ethan smirked widely.

“Were you now?” Cole chuckled loudly. 

Madi could feel Katie’s eyes staring holes into her, it made her shift uncomfortably.

“Anyone want shots?” A girl with a tray of shots asked with a grin.

“Yes please,” Madi smiled and grabbed a shot off the tray, taking it quickly. 

“Let’s go dance!” Rachel grabbed Madi, dragging her to the dance floor.

“Thank you,” Madi whispered.

Madi and Rachel danced, they were soon joined by Ethan. When Cole and Katie came out to the dance floor, Madi excused herself to go get another shot. She downed two shots and headed for the bathrooms, she walked down the hall slowly. 

“Madi,” Cole caught her arm, turning her around and pressing her against the wall.

Madi felt her breath catch as he closed the distance between them.

“You have a girlfriend,” Madi put her hand on his chest and pushed him back gently. “What happened the other day can’t happen again.”

“Madi,” he sighed quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “We didn’t use protection.”

“That’s why I took plan B,” She watched him carefully. “And got tested at the clinic. You should go before your girlfriend sees you alone with me.”

Madi walked down the hall away from him.

\---------------------- 

Madi slipped on her jacket and went outside, she leant against the wall and lit up a cigarette. She could see a figure walking towards the party when the figure got closer, she could see that it was Zane from the coffee shop.

‘Madi, it’s good to see you again,’ Zane signed with a huge smile as he walked closer to her.

‘Zane, it’s good to see you too,’ Madi smiled widely before taking a drag.

‘Can I see your costume?’ he smiled.

Madi opened her coat to show him her outfit.

‘Amazing!’ he signed and gestured being mind blown.

‘Thank you,’ Madi giggled as her cheeks burned red. ‘let’s see yours.’

Zane opened his coat to show he had a black garbage bag tied around his waist loincloth style. His chest was bare and Madi could see his chiselled abs. It made her bit her lip slightly as she took in the view. 

‘Nice,’ she signed with her cheeks burning red.

‘Why thank you, I made it myself,’ he grinned widely and closed his coat. 

Madi laughed and put out her cigarette.

‘We should go inside,’ she smiled brushing her hair behind her ear.

Madi walked inside with him down to the drinks area.

‘Beer?’ She raised her eyebrow slowly.

‘Yeah,’ he smiled as he watched her carefully.

Madi handed him a bottle of beer before taking off her coat putting in on the hook on the wall.

‘The bonus about being deaf is that parties are never too loud for me,’ He signed and grinned wider.

‘True,’ Madi nodded with a smile.

“Madi! You disappear! I was worried!” Ethan shouted and threw his arms around Madi. “Don’t ever leave me again!”

“We need you too much!” Rachel joined the hug.

‘Boyfriend?’ Zane signed as his face fell slightly.

‘No, my friends,’ Madi smiled slowly. “Guys, this is Zane. He’s deaf, I met him at the coffee shop today,” she looked back at Zane. ‘These are my friends, Rachel and Ethan,’ Madi signed with a smile as Rachel kissed her cheek.

Zane waved at them with a smile before Rachel and Ethan stumbled off.

‘I feel like the third person in their relationship,’ Madi signed with a grin. 

‘They were too drunk to know what to do with a deaf person,’ Zane let out a quiet chuckle.

‘My little brothers call him Ethan the idiot,’ Madi laughed loudly. ‘Would you like to dance?’

‘I’d love to,’ he grinned and took her hand.

Madi let him lead her to the dance floor and his hands found their way to her hips. Madi moved her hips to the music to let him know the rhythm. A smile spread across his face as he pulled her closer to him by her hips and he started to match her rhythm.

‘beautiful,’ he signed with a smile as butterflies started to form in her stomach.

Madi felt her cheeks burn red as Zane spun her around, catching her and holding her back to him. His hands guided her hips to move more, letting her ass brush against him. She smiled and tilted her head back, letting out a quiet giggle. When she looked forward again, she saw Cole leaning against the wall. His eyes were glaring holes into her as she continued to dance, grinding her hips against Zane. Cole scowled deeply and Zane turned Madi around again.

‘There’s a guy death staring me,’ Zane signed frowning deeply as he stopped dancing and stepped back. ‘Do you know him?’

‘Long story,’ she sighed and looked up at him. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Tell me,’ he signed as he watched her carefully.

‘He’s my ex,’ she signed slowly. ‘We broke up at thanksgiving,’ she bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Stop apologising, it’s fine,’ he watched her carefully. ‘You’re too beautiful to be sad,’ he stepped closer to her and put his hand on her cheek.

Madi bit her lip more as she stared at his lips, she wanted to kiss him. He made her feel good and she didn’t think she’d have a connection with anyone else or even find someone she’d even consider going out with. This time it wasn’t the alcohol speaking. 

Zane leant down and kissed her shyly. Madi returned the kiss and let him pull her closer. 

“Madi!” Ethan’s voice made Madi pull away from the kiss. “You go, girl!” 

Ethan threw his arms around Madi and kissed her cheek.

‘Sorry,’ Madi signed as Ethan squeezed her tighter.

“You should be getting a little action,” Ethan laughed loudly. “Such a cute moment between you two.”

“Yeah Ethan, you ruined the moment,” Madi sighed and patted her friend’s arm.

“Sorry!” Ethan untangled himself from Madi before standing to attention. “Continue.”

‘He’s a character,’ Zane smiled slowly. 

‘Sorry,’ Madi signed with a sigh.

Zane just pulled her into his arms with a smile.

Madi and Zane spent the rest of the night talking, getting to know each other by playing 20 questions. 

‘Let me take you on a date,’ Zane smiled as he got off the bench they were sitting on to face her.

‘Okay,’ Madi smiled as he moved between her legs. 

‘Tomorrow night at 7?’ He signed before resting his hands on her legs.

‘Perfect,’ he smiled widely. ‘Beautiful,’ he signed before he leant in and kissed her gently. 

Madi returned the kiss as she put her arms around his neck. She giggled into his mouth as he put his hands on her hips, moving her closer to him.

“Madi,” Cole spoke up, making Madi pull away from the kiss slowly.

Madi felt instantly uncomfortable under Cole’s angry gaze.

“Ethan and Rachel want to go, they’ve ordered an Uber XL so we can all go,” Cole spoke roughly. “Let’s go.”

‘I should go, they’re my ride,’ Madi signed and bit her lip.

‘Your ex is your ride?’ Zane frowned slightly. 

‘And my friends, they got a uber XL,’ Madi signed as Cole’s glare got more intense.

‘I brought my bike, I could take you back to the dorms,’ Zane suggested and shot Cole a side glance.

‘You’ve been drinking,’ She signed and frowned.

“Madi! Come on!” Rachel called out as she stumbled over to them.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow for our date,’ Madi raised her eyebrow at Zane.

‘Okay, text me when you get home,’ Zane gave her a lingering kiss as he pulled her closer.

Madi pulled away from the kiss and got off the bench.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she smiled before walking over to Rachel who wrapped her arm around her waist. “We’re going on a date tomorrow,” She whispered to Rachel with a smile.

“You go, girl,” Rachel whispered and squeezed Madi’s side.

Madi was sitting in the front seat while the two couples sat in the back. Rachel and Katie were already asleep on their boyfriend’s shoulders within minutes. Madi sighed when her phone went off.

_ Cole 3:56 am: Who is he? _

_ Madi 3:56 am: Zane. I met him today when I went to get coffee. _

_ Cole 3:57 am: You two were getting close tonight. _

_ Madi 3:57 am: Your girlfriend is asleep on your shoulder. _

_ Cole 3:57 am: Madi… _

_ Madi 3:57 am: You’ve got a girlfriend, Cole. We’re not talking about this. _

_ Cole 3:58 am: So you’re just going to start dating him? _

_ Madi 3:58 am: You didn’t tell me that you were dating Katie. We slept together while you’re dating her. _

_ Cole 3:58 am: I don’t want to see you with someone else. _

_ Madi 3:59 am: And you think I want to see you with her? Tough Cole. We’re friends, this is going to happen and if you can’t handle that then we shouldn’t be friends. _

Madi could hear him sigh in the back seat.

_ Cole 4:00 am: I can’t not be friends with you at least.  _

_ Madi 4:00 am: then leave it. _

Madi sighed as she shoved her phone into her pocket and looked out the window.

\----------------------- 

Madi walked out of the dorm building to find Zane leaning against a motorbike with a grin. He passed her one of the helmets as she got closer.

'Ready to go for a ride?' He grinned widely.

'Where are we going?' She smiled sceptically as she put the helmet on.

'It's a surprise,' he smirked and got on the bike slowly. 'Hold on tight,' he put his helmet on and started the bike.

Madi got onto the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist. She held onto him tighter as he took off and off-campus. The city and suburban landscape flashed by them as they made their way down the roads leading further away from campus. The cityscape melted into the suburbs before being quickly replaced with green as it got darker and darker. The cold wind blew past them as he sped up on the open road. It felt peaceful in a way and Madi felt herself relax as she held onto him and she couldn't stop the smile on her face. He pulled off at a bar as buildings started to appear again. Madi knew where they were almost immediately, a small town called Sterling, it was about an hour from campus. 

Madi's legs felt like jelly when she got off the bike, she took her helmet off and shook her head knowing it would be a mess. Zane smiled, putting his hands on either side of her face before drawing her into a kiss. The kiss lingered for a few moments before he pulled away with a smile.

'I have helmet hair, don't I?' Madi signed as she looked up at him.

'More like sex hair,' he smirked and gave her another lingering kiss. 'You look beautiful,' he smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear. 

'Thank you,' she signed as her cheeks burnt red.

'This place has the most amazing animal fries you'll ever have,' He grinned widely before taking her hand and leading her into the bar.

'The most amazing I'll ever had?' She raised her eyebrow at him sceptically. 

'Trust me,' he smiled at her as he leads her to a table.

'You're making a big claim there, what if you're wrong?' She smirked and sat down at the table.

'Then I owe you,' He smirked as he sat down slowly.

'Owe me what?' She raised her eyebrow at him.

'Head,' his smirk grew as he watched her carefully.

'And if I'm wrong? I owe you head?' she bit her lips slightly.

'If you want to, it's completely up to you, no pressure,' he shrugged slowly.

'You're on,' she smirked as the waitress came around. 'What do you want?'

'The same as you,' he smiled slowly. 'With a coke.'

"What can I get for y'all?" the waitress smiled slowly focusing on Zane.

"Can we please get two animal fries and two cokes?" Madi spoke up and drew the waitress' attention.

"Sure," the waitress wrote the order down before walking away.

‘I’m really going to enjoy winning tonight,’ He smirked as licked his lips.

‘Do you always make bets like this on first dates?’ Madi raised her eyebrow at him.

‘Only with the beautiful ones that know how to sign,’ he smirked and winked at her. ‘Do you know how to talk dirty in sign?’

‘I know a little,’ she smirked and lent forward.

‘I’ll have to teach you,’ he smirked and leant over the table kissing her slowly.

It didn’t take long for their food to arrive and they stayed quiet the majority of the time as they ate. Zane wipes his mouth with his napkin before smirking at Madi.

‘What’s the verdict?’ He sat back slowly.

‘They were good but the ones at my mom’s bar are better,’ she let out a quiet laugh before taking a sip of her drink.

‘What makes them better?’ He raised his eyebrow slowly.

‘Honey smoked pork belly bacon and the chef’s secret cheese sauce,’ she smirked, thinking about the fact she won the bet.

‘I understand that now,’ he smiled before it turned into a sexy smirk. ‘I owe you head, the question is should we leave now or wait a little while?’

Madi could feel herself getting turned on already, she could feel her panties become wet in anticipation and it made her bite her lip.

‘I have my answer,’ he smirked and got his wallet out, putting cash on the table to pay the bill.

He stood up and took her hand to pull her up. Madi giggled and kissed him before letting him pull her out of the bar.

They got back on the bike and Zane took them down a back road then a dirt track before stopping by the side of a river. 

Madi was more than ready when she got off the bike, the vibrations from the bike helped that. She took off her helmet and hung it off the handlebar. Zane took her by her hips and kissed her hungrily. Madi felt him unbutton her jeans and lower the zipper as they kissed. 

Zane pulled down her jeans and she leant back on the bike as he pulled them off with her boots. he pulled her panties off with a smirk and he kissed her hip gently. 

‘Slower,’ he signed and then tapped her palm once with his finger. ‘Faster,’ he tapped twice. ‘Suck,’ he pressed two fingers into her palm. ‘Stop,’ he tapped her hand with his. ‘Don’t stop,’ her smirked up at her as he squeezed her hand tightly.

Madi smirked and ran her hand through his hair.

‘Got it?’ Zane smirked as he moved his hands to her hips.

Madi smirked and squeezed his shoulder. Zane kissed her hip again before lifting her so she was sitting on the bike. His hands spread her legs and he kissed his way up her inner thigh. A moan escaped Madi’s lips and she squeezed his shoulder. 

Zane ran his tongue along her slit, sending waves through her body as she moaned loudly. She bit her lip as he ran his tongue around her entrance before he slipped his finger into her.

“Fuck,” she moaned loudly as she squeezed his shoulder. 

He took her clit into her mouth sucking gently as he slipped another finger into her. She could feel herself building up as he kept a steady pace. She tapped her finger on his shoulder twice and he immediately picked up the pace, sending her to the edge almost immediately. She squeezed his shoulder and laced her free hand into his hair. She pulled his hair as she tipped closer to going over the edge.

“Fuck,” she threw her head back and tapped his shoulder twice again.

He picked up the pace of his fingers as he sucked on her clit. What sent her over the edge was when he started to flick his tongue rapidly across her clit. She pulled his hair as her orgasm washed over her and a small cry left her lips.

Before her orgasm was over, Zane stood up and undid his jeans, freeing himself. He slipped on a condom and rubbed himself against her entrance. He drew her into a hungry kiss before pulling back slightly waiting for confirmation, she nodded and kissed him. He pushed into her and they moaned in unison as she tightened around him instantly.

Madi hooked her legs around his waist as he started to pump into her at a steady pace. The bike started to shake from their movement. Zane’s hands slipped under her ass and he picked her up. He pressed her against a nearby tree as he kept going at his steady pace. 

He bit her lip gently as he started to pump into her hard. She cried out into his mouth as another orgasm took her by surprise and she tightened around him, pulsing as her orgasm pulsed through her. Zane moaned loudly into her mouth as he finished inside her with a last powerful thrust.

“Fuck,” Madi breathed out as she held onto him. 

After a few moments, Zane gently put Madi on her feet again and gave her a tender kiss. Madi pulled back from the kiss slowly.

‘It’s cold,’ she signed before she moved to put her jeans back on.

\---------------------------------- 

Madi yawned as she walked into the food hall for breakfast, she had stayed late at Zane’s apartment off-campus watching Netflix before he dropped her home. She was in desperate need for coffee and food before her mid-morning class. She grabbed her food before sitting at a table where Ethan and Rachel were already sitting. 

“So did you have fun last night?” Ethan wiggled his eyebrows at Madi.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Madi shook her head and took a sip of her coffee.

“Madi got some action last night,” Rachel smirked slowly. “Was he good?”

“I’m not talking about this,” Madi shook her head slowly. 

“You’re no fun,” Rachel stuck her tongue out at Madi and crossed her arms.

“Cole’s coming over and I’d rather not talk about that in front of him,” Madi sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

“Morning,” Cole gave them all a tight smile.

“Now that the unholy trinity plus Rachel are reunited, we can discuss where the hell we’re going for spring break?” Ethan smirked mischievously.

“We could go to Mexico, we can all drink there legally,” Rachel suggested with a small shrug.

“Mexico sounds good,” Madi nodded slowly and took a bite of her toast.

“I’m down for Mexico, you in Cole?” Ethan raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

“Katie wants to go to Miami,” Cole spoke quietly and pushed his food around his plate.

“Miami?” Ethan scowled at Cole. “Mexico is going to be so much better.”

“I agree, I’ll just have to talk to her about it,” Cole sighed loudly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Mexico it is,” Ethan smirked widely. “It’s settled.”

\----------------------- 

Madi walked out of her class with a sigh, the information made her head spin slightly. She knew she’d need to go to the library and listen to the recorded lecture and read the chapter again to get her head around it. She walked across campus towards the library as she pulled out her earphones to drown out the world. She was going through her music to pick out a song as she walked up the stairs of the library.

“Madi!” A female voice called out to her before she could pick out a song.

A hand suddenly grabbed Madi’s arm, forcing her to stop. Madi frowned deeply as she turned to see that it was Katie who grabbed her arm. Madi took her earphones out sceptically as a frown began to form on her brow.

“You need to stay away from Cole,” Katie crossed her arms as she looked down on Madi, using her height and the added height of heels to stare down at her. “This whole hanging out with his friend like a lost little puppy waiting for him to take your sorry ass back ends now.”

“Feeling threatened?” Madi raised her eyebrow at Katie. 

“He’s told you that you need to stop and yet you continue,” Katie spoke through her teeth as she stepped a little closer to Madi. “Are you that desperate?”

“First, if you touch me again I will hurt you,” Madi glared up at Katie, not letting the height difference intimidate her. “Secondly, Cole and I are friends, nothing is going to change that. No matter how much you try,” she smirked slowly. “I mean you can try to make him stop but it won't work.”

Madi turned on her heels and walked into the library, leaving a stunned Katie behind her. 

_ Cole 12:14 pm: Hey I’m heading to the library to study. Want to join? _

_ Madi 12:14 pm: Hey sounds good, I’m already here. I’ll grab us a table. _

_ Cole 12:15 pm: Perfect, I’ll grab some coffee on my way over. _

Madi looked back to where she walked away from Katie and smirked slowly before going to find a table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
I hope you like this chapter!

Madi woke up in Zane’s bed, she had stayed over after a party. It had been almost two months since they had started dating and Madi honestly was having a good time with him. They went on rides most weekends and exploring new places as well as each other’s bodies on pits stops. It was fun and exciting as well as being a good distraction from Cole and Katie. Katie had stepped up the public affection with Cole since their encounter at the library. 

Madi felt Zane’s arms tighten around her as he kissed her cheek. She turned in his arms and kissed him gently.

‘Good morning beautiful,’ Zane signed with a small smile.

‘Morning,’ Madi signed as she watched him sit up slowly.

‘What do you want for breakfast?’ He smiled as he ran his hand through his hair.

‘I need to go pack, we’re leaving at 12,’ She signed before tracing the skull tattoo he had on his upper arm.

‘I’ll head to the store, we need some supplies,’ he smirked and kissed her. ‘We could join the mile-high club on the flight today.’

‘We should just wait until we get to the hotel, don’t forget the condoms,’ she smirked and got up slowly.

They realised when they got back to his place last night that they had run out of condoms. He wanted to keep going but she refused. 

‘I’ll see you at the dorms later,’ she signed before giving him a small kiss. 

Madi pulled on her dress before grabbing her bag.

  
\--------------------------- 

  
They were all ready to go for Spring break and they had surprisingly made it to the airport on time. Katie had held them up for nearly 45 minutes which started to piss everyone off. They all seemed to catch up on lost sleep on the flight. Cole and Katie fought in the uber to the hotel because of something he said when they got off the flight, Madi zoned it out and rested her head on Zane’s shoulder.

“We’ll meet here in two hours to hit the town,” Ethan smirked as they headed towards the elevators.

“Sounds good,” Cole nodded slowly as they got into the elevator.

‘Should we tell them that we’re going to our room to have some pretty wild sex?’ Zane signed with a smirk.

“We’ll see you guys soon, this is our floor,” Madi spoke up as she got out of the elevator with Zane.

“Our floor too,” Cole spoke stiffly as he got out with Katie. 

Madi and Zane shared a looked as they watched Cole and Katie head down the hall in the same direction. Madi frowned deeply when the stopped at the door next to theirs.

“Fucking fantastic,” Katie grumbled as she opened the door to their room.

Madi just shrugged and opened their door. Zane kissed Madi’s neck as he shut the door behind them. Madi giggled as Zane turned her around and picked her up, hooking her legs around his waist. Zane threw her down onto the bed before climbing on top of her.

“Why the hell is she even here?” Katie’s voice echoed through the wall.

“She’s my friend, Katie,” Cole sighed loudly.

‘The walls are paper-thin,’ Madi signed slowly as Zane leant up taking his shirt off.

‘Ignore them, babe,’ Zane signed before kissing her again.

Madi tried to block out the sound of the couple arguing next door. Zane leant back on his knees and pulled off her panties. He smirked and pulled down his shorts before slipping on a condom. 

The sound of Cole and Katie arguing got louder, ruining the mood for Madi. She couldn’t block out the sound and it made her immediately uncomfortable. 

‘Stop,’ Madi signed as she sat up.

‘What’s wrong?’ Zane frowned as he sat back on his knees.

‘I can’t zone them out,’ She pulled down her dress to cover herself.

‘Come on, babe,’ he kissed her again but she pulled away.

‘I’m not in the mood,’ She got off the bed slowly.

‘I fucking knew this was going to happen,’ He shook his head with a slight growl. ‘He’s like the ever-present cock block, I can’t fuck my girlfriend because her fucking Ex is fighting with his new girlfriend next door,’ he got off the bed and walked closer to him. ‘You study with him, you hang out with him, he’s always there. I can’t fucking escape him and now he’s ruining spring break.’

‘Why are you picking a fight with me?’ Madi frowned deeply at him. ‘You want to fuck, is that all you care about?’ She glared at him before turning on her heels and walking out of the room, slamming the door.

Madi went downstairs to the hotel bar and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. She needed a strong drink to calm her anger. She took a sip of the amber liquid and let it burn as it ran down her throat.

“Rough start to spring break?” Cole asked in a husky voice as he took the seat next to her and ordered the same.

“Yep,” Madi sighed deeply and ran her hand through her hair.

“Everything alright with you two?” He raised his eyebrow at her before taking a sip of his drink.

“He’s pissed off because he thinks you’re cockblocking him because I didn’t want to have sex to the soundtrack of you and Katie fighting,” She muttered and finished her drink before ordering another one.

“Katie’s pissed because I said your name in my sleep last night,” he half groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Did you know a couple of months back she confronted me and told me to stay away from you? I told her she could try but it won’t work,” She gave a half-hearted chuckle. 

“Damn straight,” he chuckled and took a long sip of his drink.

Madi felt tipsy by the end of her second drink and she could see the liquid courage helping Cole ask things he usually wouldn’t.

“Is he good in bed?” Cole whispered as he leant in closer to her.

“Not as good as you,” Madi whispered, the words slipping out before her drunk brain could catch up, when it finally caught up, she got up from her seat. “I’m going to go get changed.”

Madi went back upstairs to her room, she found Zane waiting for her with a bunch of flowers.

‘I’m sorry, Madi,’ Zane put the flowers in the vase on the table. ‘I should’ve have snapped at you and picked a fight with you. I don’t know what it’s like to have to overhear that when you’re trying to get into the moment.’

‘You can’t just pick a fight with me like that, It’s not fair,’ Madi frowned deeply. ‘I have every right to change my mind about having sex and you have to respect that.’

‘I do babe, I’m so sorry,’ He stepped closer to her. ‘Please forgive me.’

Madi nodded slowly and let him wrap his arms around her. She returned the gentle kiss he gave her before pulling away.

‘I need to get changed,’ She walked over to her bag and opened it up.

Zane moved into eyesight again with a frown.

‘You’ve been drinking?’ His frown deepened as he watched her pick out her outfit.

‘I had a couple of drinks at the hotel bar,’ she shrugged and started to get changed. ‘Is there a problem with that?’

‘No, you just taste like whiskey,’ he moved to kiss her again.

Madi gave into the kiss before pulling away slowly.

‘Thank you for the flowers,’ she smiled before kissing him again.

  
\-------------------------- 

  
They had taken full advantage of the fact that they could drink and go to clubs in Mexico. They didn’t get back to the hotel until almost 5 am. Madi woke up to screams of pleasure and other sex sounds coming from Cole and Katie’s room. Madi groaned quietly as she sat up rubbing her eyes. Her movement woke Zane up and he pulled her down for a kiss.

‘Should we go get some breakfast?’ He pulled away from the kiss slowly.

‘Perfect,’ she smiled slowly before getting up. ‘You read my mind.’

Madi and Zane found Rachel and Ethan at the breakfast buffet. They grabbed food and joined them.

“Madi, Rachel and I were talking and we wanted to ask you something,” Ethan spoke seriously as Madi drank her coffee.

“I’m not having a threesome with you guys,” Madi laughed and shook her head slowly.

“Dammit,” Rachel faked being disappointed.

“Blake, you have once again broken my heart,” Ethan sighed loudly. “We’re looking at getting an apartment for next semester, we wanted to know if you’re in.”

Before Madi could answer, Zane tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. Madi knew he had been following the conversation by lip-reading.

‘Why don’t you just move in with me?’ Zane raised his eyebrow at her.

‘We’ve only been dating for two months,’ Madi signed slowly, it was a step she didn’t want to take any time soon.

‘But if it’s for next semester that’s still months away,’ Zane started to frown deeply.

‘I’m not ready for us to move in together,’ She watched him sit back with a sigh.

‘We’re talking about something that still months away and you’re just blocking off the idea without even thinking about it?’ His frown grew deeper. ‘You’re not even thinking about it. It’s like you want us to fail.’

‘I’m not talking about this anymore because all you want to do is pick a fight with me,’ she turned away from him to end the conversation.

“Hey, Madi, why don’t we head to the spa?” Rachel asked, giving her friend an outs from the fight.

“That would be great,” Madi stood up leaving her untouched breakfast before she started to walk away with Rachel.

They didn’t get far before Zane grabbed her arm to make her stop walking.

‘You can’t keep walking away,’ Zane frowned.

‘I’m walking away because you’re picking a stupid fight with me and I’m not in the mood,’ Madi’s annoyance was growing worse. ‘Stop picking fights with me.’ She narrowed her eyes him. ‘Do you want us to fight? To break up?’

‘No Babe, I love you,’ His annoyance melted away and he moved to kiss her but she refused the kiss.

‘I need space,’ Madi turned on her heels and walked out with Rachel. “I need a strong drink.”

“What’s going on with him?” Rachel frowned as they walked past the spa and headed to the poolside bar.

“I don’t know, he gets like this when Cole’s around,” Madi sighed and ordered a whiskey on the rocks.

“Going with the hard stuff,” Rachel commented as she ordered a cocktail.

“It’s like he’s on edge and waiting for a fight so much that he’s picking fights because that’s what he expects to happen,” Madi spoke quietly as they took their drinks to go sit on the lounges by the pool.

“Maybe you need to do something to snap him out of it,” Rachel shrugged slowly before taking a sip of her drink.

“Right now, I need to just drink and relax,” Madi sighed slowly and relaxed back on her seat. “We’re supposed to be having fun before we have to go back and die from all of our assignments.”

Madi couldn’t relax for long before Zane came out followed by Ethan, Cole and Katie.

‘Babe I’m sorry,’ Zane sat on the edge of Madi’s lounge chair.

‘I can’t keep doing this,’ Madi sighed loudly. ‘Moving in together is a huge step and I’m not ready for that.’

‘I know, I just feel like at the drop of the hat I’m going to lose you,’ He signed as he watched her sit up.

‘Picking fights with me constantly will make you lose me,’ she watched him move closer slowly. ‘Just stop okay?’

‘I’m sorry,’ He looked down slowly.

Madi lifted his chin and gave him a gentle kiss which he returned immediately. She pulled away slowly and watched him relax.

‘Now can we relax and enjoy spring break?’ She pulled off her dress to leave her just in her bikini.

‘Yes,’ he smiled and gave her a deep kiss.

  
\-------------------------- 

  
Madi rolled off Zane with a satisfied smirk, they were supposed to be getting ready to go out for dinner then hitting a club but some tension needed to be released. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath.

‘We really need to get ready now,’ she signed before forcing herself to get up.

“Blake open up!” Ethan banged on the door.

“Give me a minute!” Madi called out and threw on one of her dresses.

Zane already had his pants on and was putting on his shirt when Madi opened the door.

“Come on, we’ve been waiting for you guys for 15 minutes,” Ethan groaned as he walked into the room.

“Sorry we got a little caught up,” Madi explained as she sprayed herself with perfume and put her shoes on.

“A little caught up fucking,” Ethan chuckled loudly.

‘Ready babe?’ Zane raised his eyebrow. 

‘Yeah,’ Madi nodded slowly and gave him a small kiss. “Let’s go,” she smiled at Ethan as Zane took her hand.

They all made their way to a restaurant in town and were sat at a round table. Madi was sat between Zane and Cole which made Zane and Katie unhappy. The two stayed quiet to avoid causing a fight.

“Alright, let’s play never have I ever,” Rachel suggested to try and break the tension.

“Let’s do it,” Madi smiled as their drinks were delivered. 

“Never have I ever had sex in a car,” Ethan started.

He drank along with Cole, Rachel and Madi. Zane then signed to Madi for her to tell everyone.

“Zane says never have I ever lost a bet over animal fries,” Madi giggled and took a sip with Zane. “Never have I ever had my friend’s cum licked onto my face.”

Madi and Cole shared a look before laughing in unison.

“Fuck you, Blake,” Ethan grumbled and took a sip of his drink.

“You deserved it,” Madi stuck her tongue out at Ethan as she laughed.

“Never have I ever been walked in on,” Cole's eyes danced around the table as everyone drank.

“Never have I ever been pregnant,” Katie narrowed her eyes at Madi.

Madi stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Couldn’t believe Cole told her and that she was bringing it up now when they were actually having a good time. 

She hadn’t talked to anyone about it or processed it completely. It was an open wound that Katie just rubbed salt in it. 

Zane had followed her out closely and wiped away her tears when he caught up with her.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ Zane signed with a deep frown.

‘No,’ Madi frowned as Cole walked out of the restaurant. “You told her?” She stormed closer to him.

“I was drunk, Madi, I’m sorry,” Cole sighed loudly.

“You had no right,” Tears started to sting Madi’s eyes. “You don’t know what it was like, the pain I went through, that I’m still going through. She’s just rubbed it in my face.”

“Madi, I’m sorry,” Cole reached out to touch her but she hit away his hand.

“Fuck you,” She growled loudly before turning on her heels, heading to one of the waiting taxi’s to go back to the hotel.

  
\--------------------------------- 

  
Madi got up the next morning, not in a good mood, she was angry and hurt. Zane and Madi had spent the night watching movies before going to sleep early. She got dressed and went downstairs to the buffet. She grabbed food with Zane and sat down at an empty table.

‘You okay babe?’ Zane watched Madi carefully.

‘Yeah, I haven’t thought about it in a while and it all just flooded back in,’ Madi sighed loudly and picked up her coffee.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ he watched her carefully.

‘No, let's just enjoy breakfast,’ she gave him a small kiss on the cheek before she went back to eating.

They finished eating in silence before Cole walked up to their table.

“Madi? Can we talk?” Cole asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Madi sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. ‘I’m going to go talk to Cole, I’ll meet you at the pool.’

Zane frowned deeply but just nodded. Madi got up and walked out of the hotel with Cole. They were quiet as they walked down the path to the beach.

“I’m sorry, Madi,” Cole sighed defeated. “I should’ve been there for you more after I found out. Instead, I was a complete asshole like I have been since we broke up.” 

“I pushed it down and closed up. I haven’t processed it, I’ve just ignored it,” Madi sighed as she took off her sandals so she could walk in the sand.

“We should talk about it,” He spoke quietly as they made their way down the beach. “How are you feeling?”

“I blame myself, I didn’t want to be pregnant. It was the wrong time and when it first happened I thought it was a blessing because I didn’t want to fuck up your life even more than I already had,” she looked down as she kept walking. “I didn’t didn’t want to be pregnant and it’s my fault I lost the baby.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Madi,” he spoke quietly. “You can’t blame yourself for it, the baby didn’t implant properly.”

There was a comfortable silence between them as they worked further down the beach. Madi started to feel the urge to touch Cole, to have that physical contact with him that made her world so calm.

“Maybe thing would’ve been different if I didn’t break up with you,” Madi let out a long breath and ran her hand through her hair. “Maybe I’d be still pregnant and we’d be planning our wedding.”

Madi stopped walking when Cole took her hand gently. 

“I love you, Madi,” he pulled her closer as his free hand cupped her cheek gently.

“I love you too,” She took a deep breath. “We can’t do this,” She reluctantly pulled away from his touch.

“I know,” He sighed rubbing the back of his neck. “Would you have kept the baby?” He asked suddenly.

“I think after I processed it, I would’ve,” she admitted quietly. “I would’ve just needed the time to process and thought about it with a clear mind,” she took a deep breath. “I’m not ready to be a mom, not yet.”

“We’ll have another baby,” He whispered. 

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly before sighing loudly. “We shouldn’t be talking like this, I have a boyfriend and you have a girlfriend. We can’t talk like this,” She turned and walked back towards the hotel.

She felt conflicted even more, she knew something was starting with Zane but she was constantly drawn back to Cole. She was starting to have actual feelings for Zane but she loved Cole. She was torn between the guy she was developing feelings for and the guy that was her soul mate.

  
\---------------------- 

  
Zane had gone to sleep before Madi, He had taken her out for dinner alone. After dinner, they had walked on the beach and genuinely had a good romantic night. Her feelings for him grew more and this just made her feel more torn. She pulled the pillow close to her chest as she slowly started to drift off.

Madi walked into the apartment and pulled off her jacket, she had spent the afternoon at the studio after her classes. She was happy to be home and her mind was immediately focusing on the food she was craving.

“Cole? Are you home?” Madi called out as she bent down to unzip her boots.

Madi felt Cole snake his arms around her waist and his hands resting on her stomach.

“How was your day baby?” Cole kissed Madi’s cheek and rubbed her stomach gently.

“Good, except for the fact that it felt like the baby was on my bladder all day, it felt like I was going to the bathroom every two seconds,” she smiled as she put her hands on top Cole’s. “Is Ethan home?”

“Yeah, he’s in his room. I’m ready to see the baby tomorrow, I think we’ll be able to find out the gender tomorrow,” He rubbed her stomach again before pulling back and walking into the kitchen. 

“Hopefully the baby co-operates,” She followed him into the kitchen. “Your mom called me today.”

“What did she want?” He raised his eyebrow at her as he stirred a pot on the stove.

“She wanted to know if we’re staying at their place tomorrow night,” she pulled herself up to sit on the bench. “I told her we are and we’ll see them at the bar for lunch.”

“I’m kind of excited to tell everyone,” he smiled and walked over to her.

“Me too,” She stretched before rubbing her back. “It’ll be nice to talk to my mom about everything.”

“Yeah, I know we still have a lot to figure out but I’m happy this happened,” He smiled and ran his hands up her legs. 

“Our happy accident,” she smiled and looked down at her stomach, rubbing it gently.

“Our little family,” he smiled and kissed her gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled before yawning quietly. “What’s for dinner?”

“Pasta, my grandmother’s recipe,” he turned back to the stove.

“It smells so good,” she half moaned with a happy smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Mexico with Rachel and Ethan for spring break? I’ll be fine staying here and painting all week. We can tell everyone after spring break.”

  
“And miss spending the week with the love of my life? I’m more than happy to spend the week back home visiting our families and letting them know about this perfect little one growing inside you as we speak,” He rubbed her belly again with a wide smile. 

“After this little one is born, we’re not going to be able to have spring breaks. Don’t you want to take advantage of this time?” She ran her hand through her hair. “I don’t want you to miss out just because I’m pregnant.”

“Tell mommy that daddy is going to take advantage of spring break by spending the time with mommy,” he leant down and kissed her belly gently. “I think mommy just wants some alone time to paint because daddy is too much of a distraction for mommy.” 

“Daddy is a very good looking distraction,” she smirked slowly and gave him a slow kiss.

“I think it’s a girl,” he smirked and tapped his finger to the tip of her nose.

“It’s a boy,” she stuck her tongue out at him.

Ethan slowly strolled into the kitchen and leant against the doorway.

“Dinner almost ready?” Ethan raised his eyebrow slowly.

“Yeah,” Cole nodded slowly as he turned his attention back to cooking.

“Ethan, what do you think the baby is?” Madi raised her eyebrow as she slid off the bench slowly. 

“It’s a boy, 100% percent,” Ethan answered easily.

“Yes!” She high fived Ethan with a smile.

“I’m going to be the favourite uncle,” Ethan smirked slowly.

“I don’t think my brothers would like that,” she laughed and ran her hand down her bump slowly. 

“Do you think your families are going to freak out?” Ethan asked quietly as Cole handed them each a plate of food.

“I’m expecting world war,” Madi sat down at the table slowly. “It’ll be Thanksgiving 2.0.”

“They calm down after that,” Cole reasoned as he sat next to her.

“Your dad still can’t look at me,” She countered with a raised eyebrow.

“I think they’ll be excited after the shock wears off,” Cole spoke quietly and rubbed her bump gently.

“How are you hiding that?” Ethan pointed at her bump.

“Rachel and I got a dress yesterday that’ll hide it even if I pop even more overnight,” She explained before she started to eat. 

“Doesn’t that get annoying?” Ethan gestured to Cole, who was continuing to rub her stomach.

“Mmhmm,” she nodded, giving Cole the side-eye. “You made the baby use my bladder a punching bag,” she groaned as she got up to go to the bathroom.

  
******** 

  
“I bet you $100 it’s a girl,” Cole smirked as they waited for the doctor to come in to do the ultrasound.

“You’re on,” Madi smirked as the doctor walked in.

“Ready to see your baby?” the doctor smiled as she started the ultrasound.

“Do you think we’ll be able to find out the gender today?” Madi asked quietly as she held Cole’s hand tightly.

“I can see the gender now, do you want to know?” The doctor smiled widely.

“You’ve got a healthy baby boy,” the doctor smiled as she kept moving the wand over Madi’s bump.

“I win,” Madi smirked at Cole who just kissed her with a happy laugh.

  
******* 

Madi nervously adjusted her dress as they walked towards the bar. They were meeting both of their families at the bar for lunch, they thought it would be best to tell them in a public space to avoid it completely blowing up.

  
“Are you ready?” Cole asked quietly as they reached the door.

“Yep, let me just suck in my stomach,” Madi nodded unconvinced as she opened the door. 

Their family was already sitting at the table talking as they shared around starters. They all took turns hugging the couple, except for Henry who just nodded and said hi to Madi. Madi sat in the middle of the table with Cole.

“There’s been something we’ve wanted to tell you all for a while now,” Cole spoke up drawing everyone’s attention.

“You’ve eloped,” Octavia spoke up with a laugh, earing a death stare from her brother.

“No,” Madi laughed nervously. “I’m pregnant.”

A silence hung over the table while they all stared at the young couple.

“We’re having a boy and he’s due in August,” Cole spoke up as he squeezed Madi’s hand.

“What about school Madi?” Bellamy asked quietly, being the first to speak up.

“There’s a daycare just down the road from our apartment that can take him while I have classes,” Madi spoke up confidently. “I’m going to do three classes online next semester, so I’ll only be two semesters behind. Cole’s study load won't be changing at all,” she explained as she looked around at their family.

There was a long silence and Madi felt her nerves build up, Cole squeezed her hand gently.

“Well, seeing that everyone here is dead quiet,” Octavia got up and walked around the table to give her niece a tight hug. “Congrats Madz,” she smiled widely. “Are you due at the beginning or the end of August?”

“The sixth,” Madi smiled relaxing. “Am I close to you?”

“2nd,” Octavia smiled and moved to Cole. “Congrats,” she smiled and hugged him.

Nerves filled Madi again when she realised no one else was making a move except for Lincoln who followed his wife in congratulating the young couple. 

“Well I guess I’m going to be a grandfather,” Henry announced and stood up. “You two have thought about your futures and your studies, I guess we can’t be mad about it.”

Henry got up and congratulated the young couple leading everyone else to follow. Bellamy was the only one to stay in his seat with a solemn look on his face. After everyone had gotten back to their seats, Madi got up slowly and walked over to Bellamy slowly.

“Dad?” Madi spoke quietly as she put her hand on his shoulder.

“You’re nineteen,” Bellamy sighed quietly as he put his hand on top of Madi’s hand.

“You were nineteen when you had me,” Madi spoke quietly. “Do you regret having me?”

“Not for a second,” he looked up at her and gave her a small smile.

“Do you want to see him?” She relaxed slowly as she unlocked her phone.

“Yeah,” he smiled and took her phone to look at the pictures.

“How did you hide it at Christmas?” Clarke asked quietly as she looked at the photos on Madi’s phone.

“Wore Cole’s shirts constantly,” Madi laughed quietly. “I still wear them.” 

Madi went back to her seat as everyone shared her phone around. 

****** 

Madi climbed into Cole’s bed in his parents’ house as Cole pulled her into his arms. She yawned as he kissed her temple gently. 

“He’s kicking like crazy tonight,” Madi mumbled with a yawn.

“Let Mommy sleep buddy,” Cole whispered as he rubbed her stomach. 

“I’ll sleep even if he’s kicking, I’m so tired,” she mumbled as she started to drift off. 

  
\-------------- 

Madi woke up to Zane kissing her awake, confusion filled Madi as he pulled away with a smile. The dream had felt so real but the realisation of reality had flooded her but she felt so empty. She wanted her dream to be real more than anything in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
Welcome to chapter 19!  
I hope you like it!

The rest of the semester had passed pretty quickly, they just had to get through final exams and papers. Things were going surprisingly well with Zane, they hadn’t fought since they got back from spring break and he was less insecure about their relationship. Madi was still torn with her feelings but she was pushing down the feelings that still burned intensely for Cole and letting her feelings for Zane take over. Cole and Katie didn’t seem to fight much anymore, Katie constantly had a triumphant shit-eating grin on her face whenever she saw Madi. 

Madi avoided hanging out with Cole alone, mainly for the fact that she didn’t want Katie going on her famous rants. Madi didn’t need that kind of drama in her life right now. 

Madi sat crossed-legged on Zane’s couch as they got back from their date night to the bar they went to on their first date. 

‘48 hours until I meet the parents,’ Zane smirked slowly as he watched Madi. 

‘Don’t be so excited,’ Madi shook her head slowly. 

‘Your parents are going to love me,’ he shrugged confidently. ‘How could they not? Look at me.’

Zane smirked and leant forward kissing her slowly. His arm hooked around her waist and pulled her into his lap before deepening the kiss. His hands found the hem of her shirt and started to pull it up. Madi pulled away from the kiss and stopped him from pulling off her shirt. 

‘I have to go, I’ve got to get up early tomorrow to finish my last paper,’ she slowly got up off his lap as she signed. 

‘But we were studying earlier and you almost finished it,’ he pouted as he grabbed her by her hips. 

‘We studied for like 10 minutes before we got distracted,’ she shook her head and removed his hands from her waist. 

‘But your body is the best distraction,’ he pouted slowly. 

‘It’s almost 1 am, I’m going home,’ she shook her head. ‘I’ll come over when I finish my paper,’ she signed before kissing him slowly. 

She pulled away from the kiss for him to pout more before she grabbed her bag and walked out. 

——————————————-

Madi sighed loudly as walked into her dorm room with Rachel following close behind her. They were supposed to be studying in the library but she had forgotten it. A deep frown began to form on her face when she realized that it wasn't in her dorm room. 

"Come on, Madi," Rachel groaned loudly as she crossed her arms. "My paper is due tomorrow."

"I must've left it at Zane's yesterday," Madi ran her hand through her hair as she turned to her friend. "You go ahead, I'll go pick it up and meet you at the library."

"I'll grab snacks," Rachel relaxed slightly as she walked out of Madi's room.

"You're the best," Madi gave Rachel a small smile before she locked the door of her dorm room.

Madi and Rachel went their separate ways as Madi headed to her car. It was only a 10-minute drive but this was 10 minutes she could've been spending finishing her paper. She wanted all the time she could to perfect the paper before she had to hand it in. She got out of her car and walked into Zane's building before walking up the stairs to the third floor. She knew he was home because his bike was out the front. She knocked on the door and ran her hand through her hair, she could hear movement from inside. Zane opened the door slightly, blocking her view inside the apartment. He was only wearing his boxer and his hair was a mess.

'Madi, what are you doing here?' Zane signed flustered.

'I left my laptop here yesterday,' Madi frowned slightly as she heard some movement from inside the apartment.

'I'll get it, stay here,' He frowned deeply before closing the door except for a crack.

Madi pushed the door open, immediately knowing something was up and her suspicion was confirmed when Zane's face lost all colour when he saw her walk in. It was confirmed further when she heard someone quietly curse from the bedroom.

'Is someone here?' Madi raised her eyebrow at him, she knew the answer but she wanted to see what he'd say.

'Babe,' Zane stepped closer to her and he tried to touch her but Madi stepped back from him.

Madi walked towards the bedroom and pushed open the door to find a dark-haired girl getting dressed. Madi shook her head and turned back to Zane.

'Babe, please,' he pleaded as he stepped closer to her. 'It was a mistake,' He reached out to touch her arm but she jerked her arm away from him.

'Fuck you, Zane,' She glared at him and grabbed her laptop from the coffee table.

Zane grabbed her arm again to try to make her face him and stop leaving.

'Babe, please, it was a stupid mistake,' He pleaded again but she turned her back to him and started walking out of the apartment.

She could hear him the whole time following her down the stairs but she just picked up her pace until she made it outside of the building.

"Stop!" Zane yelled out loud, it was the first time she had heard him speak verbally and it made her turn around.

'What?' She glared at him. 'This is done, we're done,' she opened her car door.

'Madi, please, I'm sorry,' tears started to well up in his eyes as he signed. 

Madi just shook her head and got into her car, leaving before he would try to stop her. She was hurt and a part of her wanted to cry but she pushes it down, she had to focus on perfecting her paper, she could feel after her paper was done. she parked at the dorms and walked over to the library.

She found Ethan sitting at the table with Rachel, both looking deep in thought. Madi sighed and joined them, trying to block out her feelings so she could get her paper done.

"Hey what's up?" Ethan frowned slowly as he watched Madi pull her stuff out of her bags.

"I'm finishing off my paper and then I'm going to get really drunk," Madi spoke through her teeth, her anger being the hardest emotion to push down.

"What happened?" Rachel asked carefully. "Did something happen at Zane's?"

"Zane wasn't alone," Madi sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Paper first then we can talk about it."

Madi turned all of her focus on her paper as the others did the same trying to finish at the same time as her.

\---------------------------- 

Madi finished and submitted her paper within a couple of hours, the others needed a bit more time. She walked out of the library to go get coffee when she saw Zane making a beeline for her. She rolled her eyes and kept walking as he caught up to grab her arm to make her stop. Madi glared at him before pushing him back away from her.

'Don't touch me,' Madi felt angry tears welling up in her eyes.

'Madi please, it was a stupid mistake,' Zane pleaded as he moved closer to her.

'We're done, Zane,' She wiped her eyes to stop her tears from spilling.

'Please, I'm sorry,' His tears threatened to spill as he reaches out to her.

'You're just sorry you got caught,' She hid her emotions behind a stoic look before she walked away.

Madi felt anger stirring in the pit of her stomach as Zane caught up to her again, catching her arm again.

'Leave me alone,' she yanked her arm out of his grip. 'I don't want to know what you want to say. I don't want to see you.'

Zane grabbed her arm again, holding her in place, forcing her to see him sign.

'I'm not losing you, Madi. I love you,' he signed with one hand as his other hand held onto her arm tightly, making sure she didn't leave. 'I love you.'

'Let go of me,' she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Madi? Are you okay?" Cole's voice called out as he walked towards them.

"I'm okay," Madi spoke quietly as she physically took Zane's hand off her arm. “I was just leaving.”

"I'll walk with you," Cole spoke quietly as he watched her carefully. 

Madi nodded and started to walk away with Cole at her side. She knew Zane wouldn’t follow her with Cole by her side. 

“What happened?” Cole asked quietly once they had gotten a fair distance from where they left Zane. 

“Zane and I are done,” Madi said simply, closing off her emotions to the situation. 

“Want to talk about it?” He raised his eyebrow at her as they walked. 

“Nope,” she shook her head firmly before looking up to see Katie marching towards them. “I’m just going to head back to the dorms.”

Madi made a sharp turn before Katie reached them, she didn’t even want to hear Katie’s voice. Not right now. She was too angry. Her hands curled up into fists as she walked towards the dorms. She felt angry, sad and stupid. She felt stupid because she had opened up to Zane and slept with him. She was stupid to let him close. She was so stupid to let herself develop feelings for him. She was more sad because she felt disappointed in herself for trusting him. It was a mistake. The whole thing. 

————————————-

Madi sat back on her bed as she took a sip of her glass of whiskey. Rachel and Ethan were on their way over from the Alpha house so they could have a movie night. They wanted to distract Madi and now that the semester was over for them, they could let go a little. Madi our down her drink when she heard someone knocking at her door. 

“It’s open!” She called out assuming it was Rachel and Ethan. 

She frowned when the door didn’t open and she knew it was Zane. She groaned as she pulled herself off the bed and opened the door angrily. She found Zane standing at her door, his eyes red and bloodshot from crying. 

‘Madi please,’ Zane signed as tears started to well up in her eyes. 

‘Was she the only one?’ Madi raised her eyebrow at him and watched his face pale. ‘So she isn’t,’ Madi scoffed and shook her head. 

‘It was a mistake,’ he pleaded and reached out to her. 

‘How many have there been?’ She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Three?’ No reaction. ‘Four?’ She frowned as there was no reaction from him. ‘Ten? Have there been more than 10?’ She watched him swallow and she had his answer. ‘Don’t you ever fucking come near me again.’

Madi pushed him back and slammed the door before storming over to her table. She grabbed her drink and downed the rest of it. She grabbed her phone and sent a message to their group chat. 

_ Madi 8:56 pm: fuck the movie night, let’s go out.  _

_ Rachel 8:58 pm: where did you want to go? _

_ Cole 8:59 pm: There’s a party close to the city if that works.  _

_ Madi 9:00 pm: As long as there’s alcohol, I don’t care.  _

_ ———————————— _

Madi sighed as she walked out of the party and sat down on the stairs. She took a long sip of her beer and rubbed the back of her neck. She had been drinking to forget the events of the day but it just wasn’t working. 

“You okay?” Cole’s rough voice drew her attention as he sat down on the stairs next to her. 

“I walked in on Zane and another girl today,” Madi sighed and leant back, resting her elbows on the stairs behind her. “There’s been more than 10,” she scoffed shaking her head slowly. 

“Fucking asshole,” he scoffed shaking his head. 

“I was an idiot to let him in,” she sighed loudly and looked up at the sky. “When you let people in, they can hurt you,” she voice was cold as she spoke. 

They were quiet for a while before Madi felt herself break. 

“I’ve fucked everything up,” her voice broke as she leant forward and put her face in her hands. “If I didn’t break up with you everything would’ve been fine and not fucked up.”

“Madi,” he sighed quietly and put his hand on her back. “It’ll be okay.”

“I want to just stop fucking around,” she lifted her head out of her hands and looked at him. “I want to go back to the way we were. I want to be with-.”

Madi stopped when she heard the door behind them open. 

“There you are,” Katie’s voice was overly happy as she sat on the stairs behind Cole and she pulled him back so he was resting between her legs. 

Katie’s hands ran down Cole’s chest as she kissed the top of his head with a smirk. 

“Have you told Madi the great news?” Katie’s voice sent a shiver down her spine. 

“Not yet,” he mumbled quietly. “Katie and I are getting our own place for next semester.”

“Well it’s a bit more than that,” Katie interrupted. “I’m spending the whole summer back home with Cole. His parents are excited for it. Jane has already organised for me to go to a luncheon with her and her friends. We’re getting a place, Ethan and Rachel. it’ll work out so much better because everything can be split four ways instead of the three ways if you moved in with them.”

“That’s nice,” Madi faked a polite voice as much as she could in her drunk state. “I need to go find Rachel and Ethan, my Uber is here,” she lied easily as she got up, slightly wobbling. 

Madi disappeared inside, leaving Cole looking after her. She weaved through the sea of people before she literally ran into Ethan and Rachel. 

“I’m going, you guys have fun,” Madi faked a smile at them. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

Madi walked away from them before they could respond and left the party. She got an Uber back to the dorms before collapsing onto her bed. Her emotions were draining all of her energy. Today had been too much for her, the Zane stuff, the Cole stuff and the news she wasn’t getting an apartment with Rachel and Ethan. 

———————————

Madi had barely slept, she had gotten back from the party at 11:30 pm. She packed up all of her stuff and loaded up her car. She wasn’t planning to leave for summer for another two days but she needed to get away from everything. She had checked out and left campus by 11 am. She just wanted to get away from everything for a while. 

She was taking her time driving but she did keep an eye on the messages that came through. 

_ Unholy trinity group chat.  _

_ Ethan 11:27 am: Hangover breakfast at the food hall? Rachel and I are heading there now.  _

_ Cole 11:28 am: see you guys there.  _

_ Ethan 11:30 am: Earth to Madi? _

_ Ethan 11:47 am: Madi! Wake the fuck up! _

_ Rachel 12:00 pm: Madi where are you?  _

Madi didn’t answer, she rubbed her forehead and kept driving. Ten minutes later, Rachel called Madi and she answered it on loudspeaker. 

“Where are you? I went to your room and the cleaners are in there,” Rachel’s voice was a mixture of worry and frustration. 

“I’m on my way home, I just needed to get away. I’m sorry I should’ve told you guys,” Madi sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. 

“You scared the shit out of me Madz,” Rachel sighed relaxing slightly. “Ethan and I needed to talk to you about getting a place for next semester.”

“Katie already told me,” Madi bit her lip as she pulled over on the side of the road. “I’ll just figure out another place or stay in the dorms.”

“I’m sorry, it just worked out better for us, money-wise,” Rachel sighed loudly, the guilt obvious in her voice. 

“It’s fine, Rach, honestly,” Madi ran her hand through her hair. “Don’t stress about it, I’ll probably get a place that can double as my studio. I’ll see you guys in a few days.”

“Alright, drive safe,” Rachel hung up and Madi went back to driving in silence. 

—————————————

Madi was happy to be off the road when she pulled up at her parents' house. She was tired and emotionally drained. She just wanted to go take a nap, to be honest. She got out of the car slowly and was immediately tackled by the twins into a hug. 

“Did you guys miss me?” Madi spoke and signed with a forced smile. 

‘You’re early,’ Julian signed with a raised eyebrow. 

“I wanted to surprise you guys,” Madi finished signing and tapped Julian’s nose. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Madi walked into the house with Julian and Augustus at her side. She found her mom in the kitchen but she knew her dad, Mini and Theo would still be at school because today was the last for them. 

“Madi,” Clarke walked over to Madi and engulfed her into a tight hug immediately. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too mom,” Madi whispered enjoying the comfort from her mom. 

Clarke stood back and took in her daughter’s appearance with a small frown. 

“I’m just tired mom, I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Madi explained and ran a hand through her hair. 

“What time is Zane getting here?” Clarke asked as she started to pack up the paperwork she was doing at the kitchen counter. 

“He’s not, we broke up,” Madi sighed loudly and crossed her arms. “I’m gonna go upstairs and take a nap.”

“Okay baby girl,” Clarke watched her daughter knowing not to push the subject. 

Madi walked upstairs and collapsed into bed. She couldn’t fight it when her eyes started to close and surrender to sleep. 

————————————

Madi didn’t move when she first woke up, her body was still so tired. She hugged her pillow and grabbed her phone to see a bunch of messages from their group chat and Cole. She sighed and opened the messages so she could figure out what was going on. 

_ Unholy trinity group chat.  _

_ Ethan 1:36 pm: We need to have an unholy trinity meeting when we get back home.  _

_ Cole has added Katie to the chat.  _

_ Ethan 1:39 pm: No.  _

_ Katie 1:41 pm: this can be our roommates' group chat :).  _

_ Rachel 1:41 pm: No, we’ll make a new one.  _

_ Cole 1:45 pm: I don’t think Madi should be in this chat.  _

_ Katie 1:46 pm: I agree with Cole, it doesn’t make sense that she in this chat.  _

_ Rachel 1:47 pm: are you serious? _

_ Ethan 1:48 pm: What the hell? _

_ Madi was removed from the chat.  _

Madi frowned as she finished reading the thread and then the fact that she was removed from the chat. Madi didn’t even bother reading the messages from Cole, she threw her phone onto the other side of the bed and pulled the blankets up with a groan. 

She didn’t get to relax for long before the sound of a motorbike pulling up to the house sent a pulse of rage through her body. She bolted out of the bed to the window to see Zane getting off his motorbike. Madi stormed downstairs and flung open the front door. 

‘Madi, baby please,’ Zane immediately started to sign as he slowly walked towards her. 

Madi’s hand cracked across Zane’s cheek hard, the sound was louder than she expected it to be. Zane stared at her in shock. 

‘Leave me alone. I don’t want to see or speak to you ever again,’ she stared daggers into him. ‘I’m done with you, there’s no going back. Stop following me and stop trying to get me to talk to you.’

‘I love you Madi and I don’t want to lose you,’ Zane stepped closer to her and grabbed her arm. 

‘Let go of me,’ her death stare intensified as she physically removed his hand from her arm. 

Madi could see the rage wash over Zane, his brows furrowed together and he gritted his teeth with a growl. 

Zane’s fist suddenly connected with the side of her face hard, the impact sent Madi stumbling back. The pain in her face was intense. Zane immediately followed it up with another punch in the same spot. He grabbed her by her throat and hit her again in the same spot another three times. 

“How dare you lay your hands on my daughter!” Bellamy bellowed as he barrelled down the stairs and grabbed Zane by his shirt roughly. 

Bellamy physically shook the now petrified Zane. Theo had made his way down to where his father and Zane were, he put a hand on Bellamy’s shoulder. This triggered Bellamy to throw Zane down onto the ground. 

The pain Madi was feeling in her face was way worse than the pain Zane was feeling as Theo held him down, yelling at Clarke to call the police. Madi felt the world spin as she fell back but was caught by Minerva before she hit the ground. 

“You’re okay,” Minerva whispered as helped Madi down to the ground. 

Everything started to blur and Madi was struggling to stay awake.

—————————————

Madi was alone in her hospital room, it was almost midnight and her parents had just gone home. Madi only had a concussion and her face was badly bruised on the left-hand side. The doctors were keeping her overnight to monitor her. 

Theo had managed to get some serious kicks to Zane’s crotch before the police arrived to arrest him. Madi was still in shock over what happened. It was like Zane just snapped and he lashed out. 

Madi’s phone went off and she groaned as she rolled onto her side to get it. The screen illuminated the dark room. She still had all of the messages from Cole before Zane had shown up. 

_ Cole 2:15 pm: I’m sorry, Katie took my phone.  _

_ Cole 2:16 pm: You and Zane breaking up has put her on the edge.  _

_ Cole 2:17 pm: I want to finish what we were talking about last night. Maybe when I get home? _

_ Cole 2:26 pm: Madi? _

_ Cole 2:33 pm: just text me when you want to meet.  _

Madi sighed quietly as she went through the other messages. 

_ Rachel added Cole, Ethan and Madi to the new unholy trinity group chat.  _

_ Rachel 2:45 pm: No one else is being added or deleted from this one. Fuck off, Katie.  _

_ Ethan 2:47 pm: Seriously Cole.  _

_ Cole 2:49 pm: okay okay.  _

_ Ethan 2:51 pm: Just for some extra insurance. COLE AND MADI SLEPT TOGETHER IN FEBRUARY! _

_ Cole 2:53 pm: Really?  _

_ Rachel 2:54 pm: Now you’ll make sure she doesn’t see this chat.  _

_ Cole 2:56 pm: You’re right about that.  _

_ Rachel 3:06 pm: Madi? Hello? _

Madi opened her other messages, trying to read all of the unread messages. 

_ Rachel 3:18 pm: Madi? Hello, are you alive?! _

_ Rachel 3:45 pm: Madi!!! _

_ Rachel 4:45 pm: Hellllllllllooooooooo! _

_ Rachel 11:57 pm: Madi seriously, answer your god damn messages.  _

Madi sighed quietly as she opened the new group chat to send a message. 

_ New unholy trinity group chat.  _

_ Madi 11:59 pm: Sorry for not replying, I’m in hospital for the night, wasn’t able to reply to my messages.  _

_ Rachel 12:00 am: Are you okay? What the fuck happened? _

_ Ethan 12:00 am: We’ll head there now.  _

_ Rachel 12:01 am: My room is already packed up. Meet me at the dorms and I’ll follow you down.  _

_ Madi 12:02 am: I’m getting out in the morning.  _

_ Cole 12:02 am: What the hell happened.  _

_ Madi 12:03 am: Zane turned up at my parents' house. _

_ Ethan 12:03 am: what happened? _

_ Rachel 12:03 am: are you okay? _

_ Madi 12:04 am: I’m fine, I just have a concussion and some bruising.  _

_ Ethan 12:04 am: Zane did this to you? _

_ Cole 12:04 am: I’m going to fucking kill him.  _

_ Madi 12:05 am: I’m fine, I’m just going to sleep it off and then go back to my parents place tomorrow.  _

Madi put her phone on the side table again and nestled into the blankets. She just wanted to sleep. She didn’t want to think about today, she didn’t want to think about what the side of her face looked like and she definitely didn’t want to think about Zane. 

—————————————

Madi woke up to the sound of people coming into her hospital room. She couldn’t stop the groan from leaving her lips as she sat up. The painkillers had worn off and her face radiated with pain. She was able to see that it was Ethan, Rachel, Cole and much to her dismay Katie who came into her room. 

“Shit Madi,” Rachel breathes out and hugged Madi. 

“That bad huh?” Madi asked in a croaky voice. 

“You haven’t seen it?” Rachel asked quietly as she pulled away from the hug. 

“No, I was too tired after the tests to even look at it,” Madi sighed loudly as she readjusted her position. 

Madi’s eyes locked onto Cole’s and she could see the anger building up inside him. She watched his brow furrow as his anger became evident. 

“I’m okay, it’ll heal, there’s no permanent damage,” Madi tried to reassure her friends but mainly Cole. 

“Let Ethan and I take you home,” Rachel drew Madi’s attention as she brushed Madi’s hair behind her ear. “I’ll call your parents and let them know we’ll take you home.”

“Thank you,” Madi gave her friend a small smile. 

“Let’s go, Cole,” Katie spoke up for the first time. “You’re parents are expecting us for breakfast.”

Cole didn’t respond to Katie, he just continued to stare at Madi. Madi knew he wouldn’t leave unless he knew she was going to be okay. Madi gave him a small nod and his lips tightened into a fine line. 

“Fine, we’ll go,” Cole grumbled and Katie immediately started to move out of the room. 

Cole gave Madi one last look before following Katie out of the room. Madi got out of the bed slowly with a sigh and grabbed her phone. She called her mom as she stretched. 

“Hey baby girl, Dad and I are just about to head over to pick you up,” Clarke spoke immediately as soon as she answered. 

“Ethan and Rachel are here, they said they’ll drop me back,” Madi spike as she sat on the edge bed again. “I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay no problem, tell them to come in I’ll make breakfast for you all,” Clarke spoke and Madi could hear her mom moving things around. 

“Will do,” Madi mumbled and hung up. “My mom is making us breakfast.”

“Sounds good,” Ethan smiled and helped pack up Madi’s stuff. 

“Do you want to get changed?” Rachel asked quietly as she went through Madi’s bag for a change of clothes. 

“I’ll just stay in my pyjamas,” Madi shook her head slowly. “Thank you, guys.”

“I can’t believe he did that,” Rachel breathed out as she finished packing up the bag. 

“He snapped,” Madi mumbled as she got up. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” 

“Sorry,” Rachel mumbled and picked up the bag. 

“It’s okay, Rach,” Madi gave Rachel a small smile to reassure her friend. “Let’s go home and get some food.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please don't hate me too much!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
Enjoy this chapter!

Healing physically after the incident with Zane was slow, the bruises got worse before they started to fade. Mentally was a little harder, she felt herself become nervous and jumpy. She was trying her hardest not to be but it was taking time. She felt the most comfortable around her family, Ethan, Rachel and Cole. She spent the 4th of July break just trying to forget at the Lake house before leaving early to work at the bar while Anya went on holiday.

Madi sighed as she walked out of the back room with a case of beer. She put it on the bar and glanced around the bar. Her bruises had faded to a yellow colour, she didn’t even bother covering them up, she just threw her hair up into a bun and left. It was a hot summer night, so she had decided to wear a pair of shorts and a bar branded tank top. She was happy that she hadn’t had any problems so far.

She loaded the beer into the fridge and when she straightened up she saw Zane walking into the bar. A mixture of rage and fear pulsed through Madi as she narrowed her eyes at Zane.

“Get him out of here,” Madi growled at one of the bartenders.

The bartender nodded at the security guard, who immediately grabbed Zane’s arm and pulled him out of the bar.

“Thank you,” Madi spoke in a quiet shaky voice as she grabbed her phone out of her back pocket.

_New unholy trinity group chat _

_Madi 1:26 am: Zane turned up at the bar_.

Madi knew it was unlikely that any of them would reply. She was surprised when her phone went off almost immediately with a reply.

_Cole 1:26 am: I’m on my way. I’ll stay with you while you close up. _

Madi bit her lip as she leant against the bench behind the bar.

“You okay?” The security guard asked as he walked closer to the bar.

“Yeah thanks,” Madi have him a small smile.

“He’s the one who did that?” The security guard pointed at Madi’s face.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly as she looked down.

“Want me to stay until you leave tonight?” He raised his eyebrow at her as she looked up.

“No it’s okay, I have a friend coming to stay with me until I go home,” she gave him a reassuring smile.

The security guard’s shift ended once Madi had closed up and the money was in the safe. Madi would need to stay behind to finish the nightly cleaning.

“Are you sure?” He grabbed a bottle of water and leant against the bar.

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly and crossed her arms across her chest.

Madi went back to getting everything ready for close. As soon as the last customer left, Cole walked in, dressed in jeans that hung low on his hips and a tight grey T-shirt. Madi was coming out of the back room after locking the money away from the night.

“You with her?” The security guard nodded his head towards Madi.

“It’s okay, this is my friend,” Madi reassured as she shoved her hand into the pockets of her shorts.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow night,” the security guard nodded at Madi before he turned on his heels to leave.

“You okay?” Cole asked quietly once they were alone.

“Yeah,” Madi gave him a tight nod before walking to lock the door. “Katie doesn’t mind you being here?”

“She doesn’t know, she fell asleep pretty fast after she got home from the movies with my mom,” he admitted quietly as she turned back to start wiping down the tables.

“Good thing your parents like her,” she mumbled as she moved from table to table. “Maybe it’s because she’s a business major and not an art hippy like me.”

“Madi,” he half groaned as he walked closer to her.

“It’s true and you know it,” she looked up at him as she wiped down one of the larger table.

He walked behind her and turned her around slowly.

“Let me look at you,” he whispered and lifted her chin before turning her head to the side to examine the faded bruises.

Hurt washed over his face as he his finger tips gently touched her cheek. He leant down slowly and his lips just touched hers. She wanted to kiss him but her better judgement made her pull away from him and moved to wipe down a table that was away from him.

“You have a girlfriend, Cole,” the hurt in her voice was obvious as she refused to look at him.

“Madi,” He sighed as he leant against the table.

“Your girlfriend is asleep at your parents house,” she walked to put the spray and cloth away behind the bar. “Maybe you should go home before Katie wakes up and pitches a fit.”

“What if Zane comes back?” He frowned deeply as he walked over to the bar.

“I’ll deal with him,” She shrugged slowly and carried the mop and bucket to the middle of the bar.

“He put you in hospital, Madi!” He snapped making her jump and spill the bucket of water.

“I can’t do this,” her voice broke as she dropped the mop and hugged herself.

“Madi,” He lowered his voice as he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry.”

Madi was fighting to not give in but it was hard. She gave into a hug for a moment before pulling away when his phone started ringing.

“It’s Katie,” he sighed loudly as he stared down at his phone.

“Go,” she nodded towards the door with a sigh.

“Madi,” he sighed as he reached towards her but she moved away.

“Just go, Cole,” she walked away from him and leant against the bar, she rubbed her forehead.

“Madi, please,” he walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“No, Cole,” she moved away from his touch as tears started to sting her eyes.

She felt like a pot of boiling emotions that was just ready to spill over. She wanted to give in and let herself kiss him but she couldn’t be that person.

“Madi please,” his voice begged as he moved closer to her.

“Just go,” she sobbed as she walked to the back room.

“I’m not going,” he followed her into the back room and she inwardly cursed as she heard him follow her. “I’m done with Katie, she’s awful, she’s just like Sophie. I want us back and I know you do too.”

She would give into her emotions, she didn’t have control. She craved his touch and the comfort that came from it. She needed it to make her world calm again.

“Madi,” he spoke in a low voice as he grabbed her arm, turning her and pulling her close.

His hands moved to cup her cheeks before he bent down slightly to kiss her. She gave into the kiss as his hands moved to her waist.

Her fears and anxiety that plagued her lately melted away as he deepened the kiss. Without any form of communication, they instinctively moved until Madi’s back was pressed against the wall.

Cole picked her up by her waist as if she weighed nothing and her legs hooked around his waist. He pressed her body more against the wall as his kiss grew hungrier.

It took all of her will power to put her hand on his chest to push him back to break the kiss. He frowned slightly as he watch her, their chests heaving in unison.

“I can’t do this while you’re still with her,” she whispered and unhooked her legs from his waist, letting him help her back to her feet.

Cole just nodded slowly and kissed the top of her head gently.

“I’ll help you finish closing up,” he spoke quietly as he grabbed the second mop and bucket.

Madi followed him back into the main bar area and they finished the cleaning in silence.

——————————

Madi knew Cole hadn’t broken up with Katie in the three days since he came to the bar. It was more obvious when Madi went to the party at one of the local lakes that always hosted summer parties. Madi walked down the path to clearing to find groups of people she went to high school with grouped around with some in the water. She could see Mini, Theo, Jordan and Taylor with their friends. She found Ethan and Rachel sitting on logs near the water, Cole was sitting on the opposite log with Katie clinging to his side.

“Madi,” Theo’s deep voice made Madi turn around before she reached her friends.

“Hey, whats up?” Madi turned back and ran her hand through her hair.

“I kicked Zane out earlier, just stick by people okay?” His brow was knitted together and the worry was clear all over his face.

“I will, thanks Theo,” She gave him a quick hug before he turned to walk back to his friends.

Madi took a deep breath before walking over to her friends. She sat next to Ethan who immediately pulled her into a side hug.

“We found an apartment,” Rachel smiled and leant forward to look at Madi. “And there’s a third bedroom if you’re interested.”

Rachel passed Madi a beer and she immediately opened it, taking a long sip.

“There is no way I’m sharing an apartment with her,” Katie snapped loudly causing Ethan to roll his eyes immediately. “It’s bad enough that I have to spend summer with her.”

“Then don’t move in, Cole and I are the only ones with our names on the lease,” Ethan half growled as he glared at Katie. 

“Why doesn’t she just get her own place?” Katie whined.

“So we thought you could have the smaller room, it’s on the other side of the apartment from the other bedrooms,” Rachel explained completely ignoring Katie.

“I’ll think about it,” Madi said to her friend quietly before taking a sip of her beer.

“Good,” Rachel smirked and shot Katie a look.

“I can’t believe how beautiful your grandmother’s ring is,” Katie changed the subject, shooting Madi a look before she smiled sweetly at Cole.

“What?” Cole looked at Katie with a frown.

“Your dad showed me it, he got it out when he was showing me your baby photos,” Katie kept her voice sweet as she squeezed his arm.

Madi felt her heart drop to her stomach as she listened to the conversation.

“He said it’ll be the ring you’ll propose to me with,” Katie gave Madi a side eye look as her smile widened.

Madi felt sick, she stood up quickly and walked away. She walked down the small hill to her family members that were.

“You okay Madz?” Minerva frowned and immediately went to her sister’s side.

“Yeah,” Madi spoke in a small voice as she nodded slowly.

Minerva hugged Madi tightly and it was just what Madi needed. Madi hugged her sister tightly, burying her head into the crook of her sister’s neck.

“Thank you Mini,” Madi whispered before pulling away from the hug.

“Here Madz, you need it,” Taylor passed Madi a cup that he had just poured whiskey into. “You need to relax and enjoy the rest of summer. Fuck everything else.”

Madi took the cup and took a long sip, letting the liquor burn her throat.

“Here’s to a good summer,” Madi raised her cup with a small smile causing the family around her to smile.

—————————————

Madi was sitting against a tree when Rachel came to sit next to her. The summer heat was really starting to settle in, it was just after 1pm and Madi had a slight buzz from the alcohol. The alcohol was letting her forget what was happening in her life right now.

“You missed the most awkward conversation, so apparently Cole’s parents are really invested in their relationship and have been introducing Katie as their daughter in law,” Rachel laughed loudly as she bumped shoulders with Madi.

“I really fucking hate her,” Madi sighed loudly and took a sip of her drink. “I almost slept with Cole and I would’ve if it wasn’t for her,” Madi sighed loudly.

“When?” Rachel looked at her friend wide eyed.

“The day Zane came to the bar,” Madi started fiddling with her cup as she looked down.

“What happened?” Rachel sat up intrigued, ready to hear the story from her friend.

“He came to the bar to stay with me while I finished closing up. I asked him if Katie didn’t mind him being there and he said she didn’t know,” Madi groaned loudly as she threw her head back. “I said some snarky comments about how his parents like her. He asked to look at my bruises, he did and then he went to kiss me but I stopped him. I told him to go, he was worried about Zane, I told him I would handle him and he snapped about Zane putting me in hospital. We got into a fight,” Madi groaned at the memory and ran her hands through her hair. “He said he was done with Katie and we started making out, i stopped him before we went any further but we were only seconds away from going further.”

“I’m not surprised,” Rachel shrugged as she watched her friend. “The constant sexual tension between you two is unbearable.”

“I can’t stop myself from thinking, if I hadn’t broke up with Cole, we wouldn’t be going through all the shit we are,” Madi mumbled and pulled her knees up to her chest before downing the last of her whiskey. “If didn’t break up him, Zane wouldn’t have put me in hospital or creepily stalking me constantly. It’s all my fault.”

“Alright, no more alcohol for you,” Rachel grabbed the bottle of whiskey that was beside Madi. “You can’t blame yourself for what that psychopath did. I’m serious, Madi.”

Madi nodded slowly and let Rachel hug her tightly as tears stung her eyes.

“It’s wasn’t your fault Madz,” Rachel whispered hugging her tighter.

“God I’m a mess,” Madi pulled back and wiped her eyes.

“After what you’ve been through this summer, I’d be a mess too,” Rachel rubbed the sides of Madi’s arms.

Madi suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine and the hair on her arms stood up. She felt like someone was watching her and every instinct in her body was telling her to run.

“Can we go back to everyone?” Madi asked in a nervous voice.

“Yeah of course,” Rachel nodded immediately, sensing her friend’s uneasiness.

They got up and started to walk down the slight slope down closer to where everyone was. Madi still felt as if someone was watching her. She stopped walking and turned around scanning the trees to see if she could see where her sense of uneasy was coming from.

“You okay?” Rachel frowned worried as she grabbed Madi’s hand to get her attention.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly as she turned back around. “I just have a weird feeling like someone is watching me,” she shivered slightly. “Must be the alcohol.”

“Just stick close, yeah?” Rachel gave Madi’s hand a squeeze.

“Yeah,” Madi nodded as they started walking again.

————————————

The uneasy feeling passed and Madi actually started enjoying herself as she hung out with Ethan, Rachel and her family members. She felt better and relaxed as they sat on the logs playing two truths and a lie.

“Okay, I was in the same grade as my niece and nephew, I once walked in on my brother and his wife going at it and I was born with three balls,” Taylor smirked as he looked around the group.

“You don’t have three balls,” Theo shook his head slowly.

“You walked in on mom and dad boning?” Minerva raised her eyebrow and took a sip of her drink.

“That doesn’t surprise me, mom and dad are sex maniacs,” Madi laughed and shook her head.

“Wait Taylor’s your uncle?” Rachel stared at Madi in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Madi laughed as she watched Rachel’s jaw drop.

“Madi’s whole family worked at our high school,” Ethan laughed. “It’s so weird to see our teachers like that and to hear about their sex life.”

“Only my dad, pop and uncle are teachers,” Madi laughed as she stood up. “Verdict on Taylor having three balls?”

“Lie!” They all shouted in unison.

Madi laughed as she walked away towards one of the coolers to get a soda, the uneasy feeling making her stop wanting to drink but her buzz was still there.

“Madi, can we talk?” Cole asked quietly.

Madi nodded slowly and walked into the tree line with him, going up the hill and out of the sight of the group. Cole stopped walked when they were well out of earshot of prying ears.

“I’m doing it tomorrow,” he breathed out as he watched her carefully. “I’m driving her back to campus tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Madi whispered quietly.

“I wanted to do the right thing by driving her back to campus, as much as I hate being around her. I didn’t want to be the asshole that broke up with her in the town she doesn’t know, stranded without a ride,” he explained quietly, his eyes watching her carefully.

Madi nodded slowly, she completely understood where he was coming from and he respected his decision in that sense.

She craved his touch so much in this moment, she couldn’t stop herself from biting her lip as she watched him.

Her eyes couldn’t help but take in his appearance, his shorts were hanging low on his hips and his abs seem to be more toned than they had ever been. She immediately started to feel herself become turned on.

She looked up at him and the sexual tension between them was unbearable for her. Her will power began to slip away as his stare became hungry and desire filled. In an instance he closed the distance between them and his lips came crushing down on hers. He expertly undid her shorts with one hand and slid them down over her ass.

Madi involuntarily moaned against his lips as he picked her up and pressed her against a tree. He guided her legs to hook around his waist and she could feel his hard self rubbing against her. The only thing separating them from connecting was the few pieces of clothing they still had on. She pulled the strings on each side of her bikini bottoms, letting him pull it off her easily. Their lips hadn’t left each other’s the entire time and when his lips finally broke apart from hers, a small whine left her lips that made him chuckle.

“Is this okay?” He asked quietly as his hands cupped her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

“Yeah,” she whispered in a low voice as she laced her fingers into his hair.

“Are you sure?” He whispered as his hand moved to the back of her neck.

“I’m sure,” she whispered as her breathing became heavy.

“I love you, Madi,” he whispered in an even lower voice.

“I love you too,” she couldn’t help the corners of her mouth twitching up into a small smile.

the love between them was obvious as they stared into each other’s eyes. Their breathing in sync as well as their heart beats. Everything seemed to be falling back into sync. Madi felt like their was electricity pulsing through her skin, sparking wherever their skin touched.

Cole leant I’m kissing her gently as she felt him move to free himself from his pants. Madi moaned loudly against his lips as he rubbed himself against her. Her nails dig into his back as he pushed inside her and she whimpered quietly into his mouth. She wasn’t used to his size anymore, compared to Zane there was a clear difference. She could feel him growing harder inside her.

He tentatively started to move inside her as he kissed her deeper. He moaned into her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her tighter. He broke their kiss and moved to kiss her neck as his pace started to pick up.

“Cole,” she moaned and laced her fingers into his hair.

“Baby,” Cole moaned loudly and bit down on her neck gently.

Madi shivered and pulled him closer to him, her legs tightening around his waist. Cole moved his head to give her a gentle kiss as he kept a steady pace. She moaned into his mouth as his hand snaked between them to rub small circles on her clit.

Madi broke the kiss to throw her head back moaning loudly. She could hear a low chuckle from him as he took full advantage to kiss her throat. She felt herself tighten around him as she felt herself get closer to the edge. She heard him moan loudly as his pace quickened.

He pushed her against the tree more and she felt the hard rough bark of the tree press into her bare skin more. The excitement, his pace and the extra sensory play made her tip closer to the edge. His pace slowed slightly just for each thrust to be harder. She tightened around him more as she started to reach her release. His lips crushed down on hers to stop her from crying out her orgasm ripped through her body.

Her entire body felt like it had electricity running right through it, the current leading right between her legs. The waves of pleasure washed over her as she pulsed around him and she felt dizzy from it. She felt him push as deep inside her as he possibly could before his own release happened.

He pulled away from the kiss and pressed his forehead hers. Their heaving breathes were in sync as they held each other, still connected.

In this moment together, Madi knew she never wanted to apart from him again. She couldn’t be apart from him like that again. Everything felt right again in his arms. Her world was calm and her fears were gone in this moment.

“I don’t want to be apart from you ever again,” Cole whispered between laboured breathes, it was like he could read her mind.

“Never again,” Madi whispered and kissed him slowly.

After a few more moments, Cole gently put her back on her feet. He leant down and gave her a long lingering kiss before he pulled away with a small smile.

Their tranquility was disturbed by the sound on Katie’s screamed echoing around them.

“Cole!” Katie’s voice screeched out.

“For fucks sake,” Cole groaned as he pulled up his shorts.

“Go, I’ll circle around so she doesn’t pitch a fit,” Madi picked up her bikini bottoms.

“I’m doing it now, I’m telling her it’s over,” he spoke determined as he adjusted himself and gave her another lingering kiss.

“Cole! Where the fuck are you?!” Katie’s voice screech even louder.

Cole pulled away from the kiss with a sigh.

“I love you, I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at 7,” he whispered quickly before he started to walk towards Katie’s voice.

He turned back to look back at her and gave her another smile before he continued to walk.

Madi knew they shouldn’t have done anything before he had broken up with Katie. The guilt was starting to weigh down on her but she pushed it aside. She didn’t regret anything that had just happened.

After a couple of minutes, Madi took her time fixing her bikini bottoms before she reached down to get her shorts. She heard foot steps behind her and she assumed that it was Cole coming back.

“Cole, you should go before Katie pitches a fit,” Madi laughed quietly as she grabbed her shorts and started to straighten up.

A hand suddenly covered her mouth and fear filled her. She was backed up against a tree and she could see the hand belonged to Zane. His eyes were filled with hatred and anger.

‘Fucking whore,’ he signed with one hand as he gritted his teeth.

Madi immediately started to fight against him but this only made him angrier. He slammed the back of her head into the tree. She groaned against his hand as her head started to spin.

He dragged her towards a small drop off which was a huge rock that sat about two meters above the lake below. Logs were visible just below the water. He made her stand up straight, one hand still firmly on her mouth and the other was on her throat.

He made her back towards the edge more until the backs of her feet were hanging over the edge. She grabbed onto his arms to stop herself from falling. She screamed against his hand and his other hand tightened on his hand around her neck, stopping her from screaming.

Madi was terrified, she wanted to fight against him but she knew she couldn’t do anything because she’d fall off the ledge. He peaked over the edge slowly.

She watched as an evil grin spread across Zane’s face. He let go of her throat and pushed her hard.

Madi tried to scream but nothing came out as she fell backwards. She could see Zane grinning as he watched her fall. It felt like she was falling in slow motion. Her mind flashed to Cole, him holding her and telling her he loved her, she wished she could stay in that moment forever. She wished that memory could save her. She hit the water hard and she felt her head connect with something hard before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Please enjoy this chapter!

Cole has managed to pull Katie away from everyone, he walked her to a spot by the lake where no one else was. He needed to do this now, he couldn’t wait any longer. 

“I’m done, Katie,” Cole said simply as he crossed his arm. 

“What do you mean you’re done?” Katie narrowed her eyes at him as she put her hands on her hips. 

“We’re done, I don’t want to be with you anymore,” he spoke firmly knowing if he showed any sign of weakness Katie would use it against him. 

“No, you’ve just drunk too much,” She scoffed and shook her head. “We’re not breaking up.”

“We are, I’m done Katie,” he growled frustrated now. “We’re do-.”

Cole was cut off by a heartbroken, terrified scream. Cole immediately started to look around trying to find who was screaming. 

“Help! Somebody help!” Theo screamed and Cole immediately recognised it. 

Cole spotted Theo coming out of the water with a limp body of a brown-haired girl in his arms. Cole immediately ran over knowing he could help. He got a few feet away from Theo when he saw it was Madi. Fear gripped Cole immediately. 

“Lay her on the ground!” Cole barked out the order, his first responder training taking over. “Ethan! Call 911!”

Theo laid Madi down on the dry land and Cole immediately checked her pulse but he couldn’t find one.

“Madi!” Minerva screamed as she finally made it to the front of the crowd that was forming around them. 

Cole found the right spot on Madi’s chest and started chest compressions. 

Thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compressions, two breaths. Cole kept repeating in his head as he started the compressions. 

“Come on baby,” Cole muttered as he finished the first lot of compressions and did the first two breaths. 

“Is she breathing?” Ethan called out as he stood in the spot with the best service. 

“No! I’ve started CPR!” Cole shouted back as he continued with chest compressions. 

Cole had to focus on keeping Madi alive, he couldn’t think about how pale her skin was or how lifeless she seemed. 

“Someone go meet the ambulance!” Ethan shouted at the people standing around watching. 

Cole paused after the second set of breathes to check her pulse. 

“Come on, Madi,” He growled as he started another set of compressions. 

“Is she going to be okay?” Minerva asked in a sob as she got closer to her sister.

“Let Cole work,” Rachel spoke in a quiet shaky voice as she guided Minerva to back away. 

Cole finished another seven sets of compressions and breathes before checking her pulse again. When he felt the strong pulse against his fingers he had pressed to her neck. 

“I have a pulse!” Cole shouted at Ethan as he started to hear the sirens in the distance. 

Cole rolled Madi onto her side in the hopes of letting more water out of her airways. When he couldn’t get any more water out, he started rounds of giving her two breaths. 

“Come on baby, breathe,” he begged as he kept going. 

“Clear the way!” A male voice yelled and people started to scatter back, clearing the way. 

The two male paramedics dropped to their knees on the other side of Madi. 

“I got her pulse back but she can’t seem to get big enough breaths in,” Cole spoke flustered as the paramedics started doing their checks. 

“Intubate her,” One paramedic spoke as he got the kit out of one of the bags. 

Cole watched carefully as they inserted the tube down her throat then attached a bag to the end of the tube. One of the paramedics started to squeeze the bag to let air into Madi’s lungs. The other used a stethoscope to check her lungs were receiving the air. 

“She’s good, let’s get her on the gurney and let’s get her to Med,” the paramedic spoke to the other and they started to move in sync to get Madi into the ambulance. 

“I’m coming with you,” Theo spoke in a quiet voice. 

“Alright, anyone else can meet us there,” the paramedic nodded at Theo as they got into the ambulance. 

Cole felt in shock as the ambulance pulled away. He rubbed his forehead with shaky hands as tears stung his eyes. 

“I can drive everyone to the hospital,” Rachel spoke up. “I haven’t been drinking.”

They all solemnly walked to Rachel’s Car, Ethan volunteered to stay behind until Rachel did a second round. Minerva was crying into Jordan’s chest while Taylor and Jordan looked like they were in shock. 

“I’ll call your parents, Mini,” Cole spoke in a numb voice. 

“Thank you,” Minerva sobbed quietly. 

Cole's hands shook as he called Clarke, he had her number saved in case of an emergency when he was still dating Madi. 

“Hello?” Clarke asked with a happy voice. 

“Clarke, it’s Cole, there’s been an accident, you need to come to the hospital,” Cole’s voice shook as he spoke. 

“What happened?” Clarke was in a full panic. 

“Theo found Madi in the water, she wasn’t breathing,” Cole’s voice broke and he sobbed as tears ran down his face. “She’s on her way to the hospital.”

Cole could hear Clarke start to cry before she hung up. Cole felt Rachel put her hand on his shoulder. 

“She’ll be okay,” Rachel reassured quietly. 

The tears didn’t stop the whole way to the hospital. 

  
——————————————

  
Cole hated the fact that he couldn’t be in the room with Madi or at least get any news. He had been separated from Minerva, Taylor and Jordan because they were able to go into the family waiting room close to her room. Cole went between pacing the length of the waiting room anxiously, sitting crying and just staring at the floor waiting. Two hours felt like years as he waited for news. Rachel and Ethan were doing their best to comfort him but it was no use, Cole just needed to know she was okay. It felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He had begged the nurses' station to give him information but they couldn’t, he knew that but he had to try. 

He had fucked up beyond all belief, he had hurt her so much these last couple of months because he was hurt and now he might not even be able to make up for it. It felt like he was suffocating at the thought of losing her. She made his world calm, she made him a better person and he didn't know who he'd be without her. He'd be a fucking asshole, that's who he'd be.

Cole raked his hand through his hair as he moved out of his seat to start pacing again.

"Cole, maybe you should go for a walk," Katie suggested quietly as she got up to stop him pacing.

"No, what if they have news," Cole shook his head firmly and kept pacing before going to the nurse's station. “I just needed to know if she’s okay,” he begged the nurse behind the desk as tears started to spill again. “Please, I just need to know.”

“Cole?” A familiar voice made Cole look up to see Octavia walking towards him. 

“Is she okay?” He moved towards Octavia in an instance. 

“She’s stable, she’s still intubated they want to make sure her oxygen levels stay up and she can breathe on her own before they take the tube out,” Octavia explained quietly and put her hand on his shoulder. “You can come through and see her.”

Cole eagerly followed Octavia through the doors to the ED ward. He just needed to see her desperately. 

“What is he doing here?” Bellamy growled as soon as he saw Cole approaching the room. 

“Dad, stop,” Theo suddenly stepped up behind his father and grabbed his shoulder. “He saved her.”

Bellamy went to say something but Octavia glared her brother down and he immediately shut his mouth. Octavia opened the sliding door to the isolation suite and stepped aside to let Cole in. 

Cole stepped inside the room slowly, Madi was laying on the bed with the tube coming out of her mouth, taped into place. He tentatively walked towards the bed with tears in his eyes. He barely even noticed Clarke sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He sat down on the empty chair beside her bed and took her hand in his. Tears of relief stung his eyes as he kissed her hand gently. 

“What happened?” Clarke asked quietly after a few minutes. 

“I don’t know, I only left her for five minutes before Theo found her in the water,” Cole looked up at Clarke as he squeezed Madi’s hand gently. “I shouldn’t have left her alone,” he sighed quietly before anger started to boil within him. “not with him around,” he growled through his teeth. 

“You think Zane had something to do with this?” Clarke sat forward frowning deeply. 

“He was around the lake today, Theo kicked him out before Madi got there,” Cole tried to calm his anger as he held Madi’s hand between his. 

The doctor walked in followed by Bellamy closely. Bellamy shot Cole a death stare. 

“Mr and Mrs Blake, I have some good news, all of our tests have come back positive. I expect us to be able to take the tube out in the next hour,” the doctor smiled brightly. “We’ll just wait until she wakes up. I do plan on admitting her to a ward for a few days just to make sure she doesn’t have any complications.”

Cole felt himself relax and he kissed her hand gently with a relaxed smile forming on his face. 

“I do need to advise you that after she’s admitted to the ward, there can only be one person with her after 9 pm,” the doctor explained as a nurse came in to administer a needle into Madi’s drip. 

“Thank god she’s okay,” Clarke breathed out relaxing as she got up and cuddled into her husband’s side. 

“The fact that CPR was administered so quickly is the reason why she’ll be able to walk out of here in a few days,” the doctor smiled before he walked out of the room. 

“She should wake up soon,” the nurse smiled before walking out. 

“Thank you, Cole,” Clarke spoke quietly as she stayed close to her husband’s side. 

Cole just nodded as he stroked Madi’s hand slowly. Cole zoned out the conversation Bellamy and Clarke, he just focused on Madi knowing she would be waking up soon. 

Twenty minutes later, Cole noticed Madi began to stir and all of his attention was on her. Her eyelids began to flutter and he watched fear wash over her face, her hands immediately going for the tube as she started to panic. 

“Baby,” Cole soothes as he stood up ensuring he was in her line of sight easily. “It’s okay, the tube is there to help you breathe, the doctor will be here soon to take it out,” he gently cupped her cheek, letting his thumb stroke her cheek. “Just relax baby, okay.”

Cole had to remove his hands from her cheeks when the doctor and the nurses came in. Madi grabbed onto his arm to keep him close. 

“Madi, we’re going to take the tube out,” the doctor spoke before he took the tube out in one easy movement. 

Madi wrenched forward coughing loudly before she laid back. She pulled Cole closer so she could cuddle into his side. Cole sat on the edge of the bed letting Madi cuddle into his side. Her hands made fists into his shirt. 

“I got you,” Cole whispered and kissed the top of her head. 

“Madi? Can you speak?” The doctor asked quietly. 

“Yes,” Madi spoke in a quiet and hoarse voice. 

“Okay, try not to speak too much okay,” the doctor spoke quietly.

The nurses did a couple more checks on Madi before they left the room. Madi didn’t let go of Cole at all, she clung onto him for dear life. 

“I’ll be back in a second baby girl, I’m gonna go tell everyone you’re awake,” Clarke whispered as she leant over and kissed her daughter’s head. 

Cole could feel Bellamy’s eyes burning holes into him. 

“Cole, maybe it’s time for you to go,” Bellamy spoke in a harsh voice and it immediately made Madi cling into Cole even more. 

“It’s okay, I’ll just be out in the waiting room,” Cole reassured and kissed the top of her head gently. “Your family really want to see you now.”

Cole watched as Madi reluctantly let go of him. He hated seeing the pained look on her face as he walked out of the room. He sat down on one of the chairs just outside her room. He wanted to stay close to her but give her family enough space to see her. 

  
—————————————

  
Cole didn’t know when he fell asleep in the chair outside of Madi’s room. He was exhausted emotionally and physically. He was woken up by Clarke shaking his shoulder gently. 

“She’s being moved to the ward now,” Clarke spoke quietly and Cole immediately got up, rubbing his eyes. 

“What time is it?” Cole half groaned as he stretched. 

“Almost 9 pm, I thought that maybe it would be best if you stay the night with her,” Clarke spoke quietly. “We could take the kids home and come see her in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” Cole frowned slightly. 

“Yeah, I know Madi wants you in there with her,” she spoke quietly before she suddenly hugged him. “Thank you for saving her,” she whispered before pulling back. “I’ll go in and say goodnight to her.”

Cole hung back while Madi’s family said goodnight before he followed the porters as they started to move Madi to the ward. He stood back and let the porters do their work in the room. 

“Are you the one staying with her tonight?” The nurse asked quietly as he looked through Madi’s chart. 

“Yeah, I’ll be staying with her,” Cole nodded slowly as he kept his gaze on Madi. 

“I’ll see if I can get you some extra pillows,” the nurse gave Cole a small smile before he left with the porters. 

Cole went to Madi’s side immediately and kissed her forehead. He took the moment just to appreciate the fact that she was still here. 

“I love you,” Madi’s voice came out croaky as she looked up at him. 

“I love you too,” Cole kisses her slowly as tears rolled down his cheeks. “I was so scared.” 

He kissed her again as he stroked her cheek gently. He pulled away from the kiss as pulled her into his arms. He got onto the bed and cuddled up with her. 

“I’m never letting you go again,” he whispered kissing the top of her head. “Ever.”

Cole held her close and he felt her fall asleep on his chest. He held her close and his heart finally felt like it could relax. He hadn’t felt like himself for months, he was pretending to be okay, fighting his feelings and now he everything was how it should be. 

  
————————————

  
Cole had stayed by Madi’s side all of the night and well into the next day until Clarke hustled him out of there to go home and shower. He was hesitant about leaving Madi but he really needed to shower and change his clothes. He was comforted in the fact that Madi wasn’t alone. He got an Uber back to his parents' place and yawned as he walked up the stairs to the front door. He hadn’t even thought about Katie or where she went after he left the party. 

“Cole!” His father’s voice was angry as soon as he got into the house. “Where the hell have you been?”

“At the hospital,” Cole half groaned as he toed off his shoes in the entryway. 

“You left Katie to walk back from the party alone, she was so upset she got a bus back to campus,” his father growled as he stormed into the entryway. 

“She was upset because I broke up with her,” Cole shrugged and ran his hand through his hair. 

“Why were you at the hospital?” His mom appeared from behind his father. 

“Madi almost died, I had to do CPR on her and she was intubated,” Cole explained quietly and started for the stairs. 

“Is she okay now?” His mom frowned concerned. 

“Yeah, they’re keeping her for observation, I’m just here to shower and get a change of clothes,” Cole started to walk up the stairs, he paused and turned back to look back at his parents. “Madi and I are back together, so cut me off if you want to because I’m not breaking up with her.”

Cole went upstairs to his room and immediately got into the shower. He made quick work of getting out of the shower and getting changed. When he got downstairs he found his parents waiting for him. 

“Cole, we need to talk,” His father spoke through his teeth. 

“What?” Cole sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Do you really think getting back together with her is the best thing?” His father half growled as he glared at his son. 

“Yes dad, it is the best thing,” Cole spoke through his teeth and narrowed his eyes at his father. 

“You’re being so stupid, you had a perfectly good and respectable girlfriend, you’re just throwing that away for this hippy,” his father growled loudly and threw his arms up in the air. “As long as you’re with her, you’re not welcome in my house.”

“Fine by me,” Cole growled and walked back upstairs to pack up his things. 

He packed up everything that he cared about and wanted to keep into his suitcases. He grabbed the suitcases and stormed downstairs. 

“Cole please,” His mom begged as she followed him out of the house. 

“I’m not leaving her again, ever,” Cole spoke firmly as he put the suitcases in the trunk of his car. 

“Your father will calm down,” she tried to reassure but it wasn’t doing anything for Cole’s anger. 

“Mom, I love Madi, more than anything in this world. She already had to go through horrible things because of what happened at thanksgiving,” He sighed and shut his trunk. 

“What do you mean?” She frowned as she watched her son walk to the driver’s side of the car. 

“Madi ha-,” he stopped before he finished. “Never mind.”

“Call me if you need money or anything like that, don’t worry about your tuition, I’ll take care of that,” she gave him a sad smile. “If it’s okay with you, I want to come visit Madi when she’s out of hospital.”

“I’ll talk to Madz about it,” he nodded slowly as he watched his mom. 

“I’m sorry, Cole,” she gave him a hug before pulling away, wiping away her own tears. 

“It’s not your fault dad is a monumental asshole,” he sighed loudly as he opened the car door. “I love you, mom.”

“I love you too,” she watched him get into the car. 

Cole sighed loudly as he drove away, he just wanted to get back to the hospital and to Madi. He got there quicker than he should have and he was lucky he didn’t get a speeding ticket. He walked down the hall of the ward towards Madi’s room. Clarke was waiting outside and approached him as he got closer to the room. 

“Hey, your mom called me and told me what happen,” Clarke spoke quietly as she gave him a sympathetic look. “You’re welcome to stay at our place.”

“Thank you,” Cole felt a weight lift off his chest, this was one less thing for him to worry about. 

“I’m apologising for Bell in advance, he’s still not the happiest trooper about his little girl growing up,” she shrugged slowly. 

“Thank you, Clarke, it really means a lot,” he gave her a soft smile before he walked into the room. 

“I get to go home,” Madi beamed at Cole as he walked home tomorrow. 

“In reality, she volunteered you to be her personal nurse,” Tybe chuckled from his seat beside Madi’s bed. 

“Oh did you really?” Cole laughed as he leant down to give her a quick kiss. 

“Well the doctor said I could go home if I have someone who will say with me and monitor me,” she smiled brightly up at him. “Good thing I know a premed student that’ll volunteer for the job.”

“Good thing huh?” He laughed and kissed her again. “Do you remember what happened?” He asked quietly as he brushed her hair out of her face. 

“No,” she sighed defeated. “I keep trying but I can’t, the last thing I remember was you leaving to go back to the party. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, baby,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead gently. 

Cole felt someone tug on his shirt slightly and he turned his head to see Julian and Augustus looking up at him. Julian started to sign slowly and Augustus watched. 

“Julian wants to know if you are going to live with us now,” Augustus spoke quietly, translating what Julian was signing. 

“For the summer yes, I suppose you and Julian will have to teach me how to sign,” Cole smiled down at both boys. 

“We can do that,” Augustus nodded excitedly. 

“You’re staying with me for the rest of the summer?” Madi asked quietly, making Him turn around to face her again. 

“Yeah,” he nodded slowly and watched her face light up. “I love you,” he chuckled and kissed the top of her head. 

“I love you too,” she smiled up at him. 

“I’ll pack up your things,” he immediately started to pack up her belongings. 

He didn’t want to crowd her especially when her family wanted to see her just as much. 

  
———————————

  
It was just after 11 pm when Cole felt comfortable enough to go to sleep. He was thankful that Clarke and Bellamy were letting him stay with them for the summer. He knew Bellamy wasn’t the happiest about it but Clarke assured him to leave her to deal with her husband. Madi had been asleep for almost two hours but he just needed to be sure she was okay before he let himself sleep. Her breathing was steady and she didn’t seem to be in any discomfort. He crawled into her bed and like a magnet, she immediately moved closer to him, her head laid on his chest as her hand snaked around him. 

Cole couldn’t stop the smile on his face as wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head gently. A quiet groan left her lips as she started to stir. 

“Cole,” Madi half moaned as she lifted her head and kissed him. 

“Get some sleep baby,” he whispered and kissed her slowly. “I’ve got you.”

He let her cuddle even closer to him before he felt her breathing start to steady again. 

  
————————————

  
Cole and Madi had settled into a routine since she had gotten out of the hospital, it had been over three weeks since she had been allowed home. The one thing that bothered Cole was that she still didn’t remember what had happened but she has been having bad nightmares that she would brush off when she’d wake up. It made him sick to his stomach to know she was going through torture and he couldn’t do anything about it. He just held her tight and comforted her until she would fall asleep again. 

Cole couldn’t help the memories that flooded back as they walked into Walmart. They were getting supplies for their movie night they were having with her siblings. They walked down the toiletries aisle and he stopped in front of the condoms, grabbing two boxes. 

“We really need to start using these again,” Cole whispered, kissing her cheek as he put them in the cart. 

“I know,” Madi sighed quietly and leant against him as they kept walking. 

“You used to be so strict on us using them,” he raised his eyebrow at her as he stopped walking. 

“I just haven’t really thought about it,” she sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “We’ll start using them again.”

“I love you,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head. 

“I love you too,” she whispered and cuddled into his side. 

Cole frowned when he felt her shiver against his side and it made him tighten his grip around her. 

“What’s on your mind?” He asked quietly as they continued to walk down the aisle. 

“I-I-I,” she stuttered quietly before she dipped her head. 

“Madi?” Cole stopped walking and looked at her slowly. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to...” she trailed off and looking away from him.

“What do you need?” He lifted her chin to make her look at him. 

"I'm..." She trailed off and she squeezed her eyes shut. 

"Madi, what is it?" A frown slowly formed on his brow as he stared at her.

"Cole, I'm..." She sighed and stepped back, dipping her head as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Madi, what's going on?" his voice was full of concern as he watched her carefully.

"I'm craving gummy bears," she breathed out which made him chuckle and shake his head slowly.

"We'll get you gummy bears," he shook his head slowly and pulled her into his side, kissing the top of her head. "Do you know what we should do?"

"What?" she whispered quietly as they started to walk down the aisle again.

"Elope, just go and get married," he smiled slowly.

“You want to elope?” She stopped walking and looked up at him, a slightly unsure look on her face. "We only just got back together."

“I don’t want to waste any more time,” He brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “We almost lost our chance to be together.”

“Let’s do it,” she looked up at him slowly as a small smile started to form on her lips.

“You, me, Ethan and Rachel can go away to the beach,” he smiled wider at her as he stroked her cheek. 

They finished up their shopping and headed to the car. Cole got into the driver's seat and watched Madi carefully. 

“So when do you want to do it?” Cole grinned as he pulled out of the Walmart parking lot. 

“Before my birthday next month, we can tell my parents we’re going away for my birthday,” she bit her lip gently as she watched him. 

“We better call Ethan and Rachel,” He chuckled and pressed Ethan’s name on the screen on the dashboard. 

It immediately started to call Ethan through the car’s loudspeaker. 

“Hello?” Ethan answered almost immediately. 

“Ethan, you and Rachel are coming away with Madi and I the week before Madi’s birthday,” Cole spoke up as he ran his hand through his hair. 

“I thought we were throwing Madi a party at her parents' place,” Ethan spoke up confused. 

“We still are,” Cole grabbed Madi’s hand and kissed the back to it gently. 

“What are we going away for?” Ethan's voice was still confused. 

“We’re eloping and we want you guys to be our witnesses,” Cole smirked and kissed Madi’s hand again. 

“Are you serious?” Ethan choked out in shock. 

“Yeah, Madi and I will sort out the details,” Cole chuckled quietly and turned into Blake house driveway. “We just got back to Madi’s parents’ place, we’ve got to keep this a secret okay.”

“Secret, gotcha,” Ethan seemed to have capes down before he hung up. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Madi asked quietly as she undid her seatbelt. 

“I’ve never been more sure,” Cole smiled brightly at her before giving her a small kiss. 

Cole felt his heart swell even more, he was going to marry his soulmate and it made him the happiest man alive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
I hope liked it!  
Stay safe and healthy <3


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Please enjoy!

Madi couldn’t believe this was actually happening, she was still in shock Cole had agreed to it. After everything that had happened, she didn’t want to wait and waste time. Time and life was too precious for that. They had it all booked in and ready to go including a ceremony down on the beach. She did have a guilty feeling about the fact that they were keeping it a secret but she knew her family would freak out and not understand. 

Madi had been pretty good at keeping it a secret the last two weeks. Cole, on the other hand, had almost given it away a fair few times. He had been a bit too loud discussing it in the kitchen with her one morning before the twins ran it. When they had lunch with his mom, he called Madi his fiancé but Jane didn’t seem to notice.

Madi carefully put her dress into the black bag, she had found her dress in a prom dress shop with Rachel a week ago. She zipped up the bag as her mom walked into her room slowly.

“So what are you guys going to get up to on this trip?” Clarke smiled as she sat down on the bed.

“I thought we could just get away for a couple of days and make some good memories, considering this summer has been tainted by so many bad ones,” Madi hung the black garment bag in the closet and sat next to her mom.

“Still don’t remember anything from what happened at the lake?” Clarke asked quietly and brushed Madi’s ear.

“I remember some flashes but that’s it,” Madi spoke quietly as anxiety started to build up inside her. “I remember being pushed and a smile that was so evil,” she shivered at the memory.

“Madi?” Clarke frowned deeply. “Was it Zane?”

Madi felt the tears sting her eyes as the fear rose in her chest.

“You can’t tell Cole,” Madi’s voice broke as she whispered. “I don’t remember enough of what happened to do anything about it but I know it was him.”

Clarke pulled her daughter into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry baby girl,” Clarke whispered as she held her daughter.

“I think what bothers me the most is that there’s a chunk of time that I don’t even know what happened, it’s just gone,” Madi sighed as she pulled away from the hug. “From when Cole left to go back to the party to Zane pushing me off the ledge, it’s just gone.”

“I know it bothers you about not remembering what happened in that gap, it still bothers me that I can’t remember everything that happened with Heidi,” Clarke bit her lip slowly and put her hand on her daughter’s cheek.

“I just wish I remembered it all so he wouldn’t get away with it,” Madi sighed quietly. “What am I supposed to say to the police? ‘Hey remember that thing that happened nearly two months ago that you’ve already interviewed me twice about? I remember now that it was my psycho ex-boyfriend but I can only tell you that he pushed me off the ledge’. I hope Karma gets him,” Madi half groaned and ran her hand through her hair. “I hope he drives his motorcycle into a tree.”

There was a long silence between them, quite possibly because Clarke didn’t know how to respond.

“What are you guys really getting up to on this trip?” Clarke raised her eyebrow at her daughter.

“We’re... just going away to have fun,” Madi struggled to keep the secret, not with her mom and not like this. “Mom?” She bit her lip slowly.

“Yeah?” Clarke watched her daughter carefully.

“How did you feel knowing Mini isn’t your biological daughter?” Madi asked quietly.

This secret had been weighing down on her even heavier than her impending wedding. She hadn’t told anyone this, she kind of hoped it would just go away but that wasn’t going to happen.

“I love your father and Mini is a part of your father, it was easy loving her as my own,” Clarke explained quietly. “Biology doesn’t matter.”

Madi felt tears fill her eyes as she covered her face, crying into her hands.

“Oh baby girl,” Clarke pulled her daughter into a hug and kissed the top of her head, knowing exactly what was wrong.

“He’s going to hate me,” Madi sobbed quietly into her mother’s chest.

“No he’s not,” Clarke soothed as she stroked Madi’s back. “How far along are you?”

“Eleven weeks,” Madi pulled away and wiped her eyes. “The doctor told me before I was discharged, I’ve tried to tell Cole so many times,” Madi wiped her eyes slowly. "Every time I try to tell him, the words just don't come back."

Clarke just pulled her daughter into a hug again, knowing her daughter needed comfort and support.

“Babe! We’re back!” Bellamy’s voice rang out from downstairs.

Bellamy, Cole and Theo had gone to go grab dinner for everyone. Bellamy and Cole were surprisingly getting along more since Cole was now living with them. Bellamy still had his protective moments but they would get into these serious philosophical conversations.

“I’ll be down in a minute!” Clarke called out as Madi pulled away and tried to calm down. “Come on baby girl, you must be hungry.”

“No,” Madi shook her head slowly. “I need to talk to Cole,” she sighed quietly and as if on cue Cole pushed the bedroom door open.

“What’s wrong?” Cole immediately spoke as soon as he saw Madi’s face.

“Can we go for a walk?” Madi’s voice broke as she stood up slowly.

Cole nodded and they walked downstairs together. There was a painful silence between them as they walked out of the house and down to the end of the backyard. They sat down on the bench they had back there where Madi liked to sit and draw.

“Madi?” Cole’s voice was full of dread as he looked at her.

“I’m pregnant,” Madi spoke quickly knowing she just needed to do it, she had kept the secret for too long already.

“Is that what you’re worried about?” He relaxed and gave her a deep kiss. “This is happy news,” he went to kiss her again but she stopped him as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“I-I-it’s not... I’m eleven weeks pregnant,” she stuttered and watched his face fall.

“I’m not the father,” his voice sounded broken as he stared at the ground.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered but his gaze didn’t move from the ground. "I've tried to tell you so many times."

“Eleven weeks,” he half scoffed and ran his hand through his hair. “How long have you known?”

“Five weeks, the doctor told me the day I was discharged,” her hands started to fidget in her lap as she watched him carefully. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s why you didn’t care about using condoms,” he sighed loudly and raked his hand down his face. “I can’t get you pregnant because you’re already pregnant,” he stood up suddenly. “Fuck," He growled loudly and raked his hand down his face. "I need some space."

Cole walked away quickly, leaving Madi sitting there crying again. She knew she should’ve told him earlier but she was scared. Scared of losing him and it looked like she just did.

Madi pulled her knees to her chest and continued to cry. She had ruined everything and she had no one else to blame but herself, she was the one who had slipped up and let herself get pregnant by Zane. She thought she had been careful but she obviously hadn’t been careful enough.

  
————————————

  
Madi felt beyond sick to her stomach, Cole didn’t come back after he had walked out. It had been almost two days since she had seen him and she had heard from Rachel that he was at Ethan’s. Rachel had told her that Cole just needed space. Madi had given it to him, she made sure she wasn’t there when Ethan sent her a message to say they were coming to pick up some of his stuff.

Three days after she had told Cole, she wanted to reach out to Cole but she knew she needed to give him space. Octavia had found out she was pregnant because she saw Madi go into her doctor’s appointment. This led to a knock-on effect until her whole family knew.

“You’re still in college! You just finished your first year!” Bellamy shouted across the dinner table after he had gotten a call from his sister.

“Bellamy, calm down,” Clarke hissed at her husband.

“You knew and didn’t even tell me,” Bellamy growled at his wife. “Have you even thought about this? How this is going to affect your life?” He was no longer shouting but his tone was still obviously angry.

“I know dad,” Madi looked down ashamed. 

"Bellamy, I think Madi knows how much this is going to change her life," Clarke spoke in a quieter voice as she reached out to rub her daughter's back gently.

“Is this why Cole hasn’t been around? He can’t run away from his responsibilities,” his voice was angrier as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Cole doesn’t have any responsibility, he’s not the father,” Madi felt like she was going to be sick. “Zane’s the father.”

“What?” Bellamy’s voice was quiet now as he stared at his daughter. “Zane’s the father?”

“Yeah,” Madi looked down ashamed.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him," He growled in a deadly tone as he raked his hand down his face. 

“I’m going to go to bed," Madi mumbled as she stood up quickly.

Madi ignored the objections from her parents and went upstairs slowly. She sat on her seat by the window in the room and just stared out of it. She felt empty, alone and ashamed. She didn’t want to be pregnant, she didn’t want to be having a baby that was a part of Zane, she didn’t want to have a baby alone. She didn’t want to have the baby but she didn’t have the guts to get an abortion.

She looked up at the stars through her window and wished she knew what to do. She could do nothing but stare up at the stars, wishing she wasn’t in this situation.

Madi didn’t know how long she had been staring at the stars. A knock at the door brought her back to the real world.

“Yeah?” Madi’s voice came out hoarse.

Madi watched as Cole slipped into the room and pressed his back against the closed door. He just stared at her but Madi couldn’t look at him, she felt so ashamed.

“I’m sorry,” Cole whispered as he slowly moved closer to her. “I shouldn’t have walked away.”

“I don’t blame you,” she whispered as she continued to look down at the floor. “I should’ve told you when I found out. I didn’t want it to be true. I didn’t want to be pregnant, I don’t want to be.”

“I don’t care that Zane’s was the one who got you pregnant,” He moved closer to her and lifted her chin to make her look at him but she closed at her eyes. “Madi...” he trailed off and moved his hand to put it on her stomach. “I’m going to be here for you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she whispered as she stood up and moved over to her dresser. “Having a baby changes everything and it makes everything harder. I can’t let you do that especially when the baby isn’t yours.”

She didn’t want him to feel obligated to look after her or the baby when he had no responsibility to either of them. She wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Cole grabbed her arm, making her turn around and his lips crashing down on hers. He pulled her closer and she relaxed in his arms. The tension leaving her body as she surrendered to the affection. He pulled back from the kiss and his forehead pressed against hers.

“This is our baby,” he spoke firmly as he held her close. “Our baby and our family,” he kept his forehead pressed against hers. “We’re in this together, forever.”

Cole’s words helped her start to calm down, it let her know that everything is going to be okay. Her world felt less chaotic and her anxiety melted away.

  
——————————

  
Madi woke up to Cole cuddling closer to her, she felt her stomach churn immediately. Her morning sickness rarely made her throw up, it just made her feel horrible. It had been three weeks since Cole had come back and her stomach had popped out, it looked somewhere between a food baby and period bloating.

Madi silently groaned as she slipped out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. The only thing that eased her morning sickness first thing in the morning was a hot shower. Madi had an ultrasound appointment in an hour before they were supposed to get ready to go away. Madi told Cole that they should put off eloping but he didn’t want to, he wanted to get married before the baby was born.

Madi let the hot water run over her body, she closed her eyes and wished for the sick feeling to go away. She wasn’t surprised when Cole got into the shower with her and kissed the curve of her neck.

“Only 27 hours until you’re my wife,” Cole whispered against the curve of her neck as his hands snaked around to rub her small bump.

“I think we should put it off, our family is already shocked enough over the baby,” Madi whispered as rested her head back on his chest. “Maybe we can just wait and have a proper wedding later on before you go to med school.”

In all honesty, she didn't want to tie Cole down, she wanted to still give him an out if he decided he wasn't ready for this. As much as he told her he was in this for the long haul, she wanted to make sure he didn't feel obligated to stay with her. 

Honestly, Madi still didn't want to be pregnant, even after weeks of fully processing it, she didn't want to be pregnant with Zane's baby. She didn't want to be having a baby with someone who tried to kill her.

“Mmm,” he mummed as he thought about it. “Okay, we’ll wait. At least we get to see peanut today, maybe we’ll be able to see the gender,” he rubbed her bump more, strumming his fingers slightly.

“Maybe we can,” she whispered as she closed her eyes, leaning against him slightly. “Rachel wants pictures from the ultrasound. I told her that I’ll bring them to lunch.”

“I think a little girl would be amazing,” he smiled and against her neck. “She’ll be a daddy’s girl who’s the spitting image of her mom.”

“Daddy’s girl,” she whispered.

“Do me a favour,” he whispered and drew circles on her bump. “Let’s not tell anyone else that I’m not the biological father. I don’t want the baby to find out when or if we decide to tell them.”

“Okay,” she whispered and opened her eyes slowly, her face scrunched up as another wave of nausea hit her.

“Are you okay?” He asked quietly.

“Yeah, just don’t feel well,” she sighed quietly and leant against the wall of the shower.

“I’ll go make you some peppermint tea,” he kissed her cheek and got out of the shower.

Madi waited for the wave nausea to pass but it just didn’t, it got worse. She rushed out of the shower and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She sat back groaning loudly as she wiped her mouth. After a few minutes, she forced herself up and brushed her teeth. She groaned as she got dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top before she headed downstairs.

“How are you feeling?” Clarke asked Madi as she walked into the kitchen.

“Horrible,” Madi groaned quietly as Cole gave her a mug of peppermint tea. “Is this going to last the entire time?” She gave a begging look to her mother.

“Not the entire time,” Clarke gives a half laugh as she goes to start cooking eggs for breakfast.

“Thank you,” Madi whispered to Cole as she took a sip of her tea, the smell of the eggs hit her and her stomach churned. “Oh god,” she groaned and covered her mouth.

“You’re just like your mom,” Bellamy chuckled and patted his daughter on her back.

“I thought you were still mad at me,” Madi groaned as she stretched.

“I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed,” Bellamy sighed realising the situation again. “I just thought you’d wait until after college.”

“I didn’t exactly plan this,” Madi sighed as Cole put his hand on her stomach and kissed her temple. "I fucked up big time," she dipped her head ashamed.

“I know baby girl, the hardest part about being a parent is accepting that things won’t always go as you expect it,” Bellamy sighed and moved to hug Madi. “I’m sorry, I’m still trying to figure out how to be a good dad.”

“I’m sorry Dad,” Madi whispered as she hugged her dad.

“Now I get to learn how to be the best grandparent,” Bellamy pulled away slowly. “Best believe I’m going to spoil the hell out of my grandbaby.”

“Want me to come with you to your appointment?” Clarke asked quietly as she served up breakfast for everyone.

“You can come if you want to, it’s just the ultrasound today,” Madi spoke quietly as she sat down at the table with Cole next to her as the kids came downstairs. 

  
“We’ve got to start figuring out what you’re going to do once the baby is born,” Clarke spoke up as she sat down with her breakfast.

“I was going to go see what they have in terms of online classes and there’s a daycare down the road from the apartment,” Madi spoke quietly and started to pick at her breakfast. “Vincent emailed me about a couple of commission works, so that should help with bills.”

“You’re father and I are happy to help out, I’ll come up and stay with you guys for a couple of weeks after the baby is born,” Clarke explained and started to eat.

Madi’s phone started to ring and she got up from the table to answer it.

“Hi, am I speaking to Madi Blake?” A female spoke over the phone.

“Yes,” Madi spoke quietly as she walked into the lounge room.

“My name is Doris, I’m from dr Nyko’s office, unfortunately, it seems we have double booked your appointment time, is it possible for you to come in for your appointment early?” The female seemed panicked.

“Yeah that’s no problem, I can be there in fifteen minutes,” Madi spoke quietly and rubbed her back.

“Thank you,” The female seemed to relax before she hung up.

Madi walked back to the dining room as she rubbed her forehead.

“They double booked my appointment, we need to head there now,” Madi spoke quietly as she put her hand on Cole’s shoulder.

“Okay, let’s go,” Cole nodded and grabbed the toast from his place.

“I’ll come to the next one,” Clarke spoke up slowly.

Madi just nodded and walked out with Cole close behind her.

  
—————————

  
Madi closed her eyes as Nyko pressed the wand against her stomach. She couldn’t feel happy or excited about this, the baby was Zane’s. She was carrying the baby of the man who tried to kill her. She hadn't even looked at the other ultrasound she had done, she refused to look at it. She just stared up at the ceiling as Nyko did the first ultrasound. 

This time Cole was with her, holding her hand excitedly as he stared at the screen with anticipation. Madi just squeezed her eyes shut as Nyko started the ultrasound.

“That’s amazing,” Cole whispered as he squeezed her hand tightly. 

Madi opened her eyes and looked at the screen. The coldness in her heart towards this pregnancy melted away when she saw the image of the little baby curled up inside her.

“There’s our baby,” Cole spoke excitedly as he kissed her hand gently.

“And here’s the heartbeat,” Nyko smiled as he turned the sound on.

Madi felt tears well up in her eyes as she listened to the heartbeat. Cole stroked her hair gently and kissed her cheek gently. How could she hate something so small and innocent? The baby shouldn't suffer because of the sins of their father.

“Do you want to know what you’re having? The baby is in the perfect position to see,” Nyko grinned widely at them.

“Yeah,” Cole answered quickly and then realised he should’ve let Madi answered. “Sorry.”

“Yes please or I think Cole will die of anticipation,” Madi laughed quietly and wiped her happy tears away.

“You two have a healthy baby girl,” Nyko grinned at them widely. “She is measuring perfectly and her heartbeat is strong. Just like when I gave your mom her ultrasound when she was pregnant with you.”

“She’s completely healthy?” Madi asked quietly as Nyko finished the ultrasound and wiped her stomach.

“She’s completely healthy, so Mommy and daddy can stop worrying,” Nyko smiled widely as Madi sat up slowly. “I do want to see you one more time before you go back to college, we’ll do one last check-up and then have my notes for your new doctor. I should have your genetic tests back by then."

“Thank you so much,” Cole smiled widely and took the printed pictures of ultrasound.

“I’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” Nyko smiled at the young couple as they walked out.

Madi couldn’t keep the smile off her face as they got back to the car. Cole pulled her into a deep kiss as he pressed her against his car. He pulled away with a wide smile as he put his hand on her small bump.

“She’s going to be a daddy’s girl,” Madi hummed as she put her hand on top of Cole’s.

“Don’t you know it,” he chuckled loudly and kissed her again gently. “Now are my girls craving anything?” He raised his eyebrow slowly at her.

“Can we get a milkshake on the way home?” She bit her lip slowly as she looked up at him.

“We can get anything you want,” he gave her another small kiss before opening the door to let her get into the car.

  
—————————————

  
Madi and Cole walked into the house slowly. Madi was drinking her second milkshake and honestly, it’s tasted like the best milkshake she’d ever had. She was surprised to find all of the female members of her family sitting in the lounge room.

“How did it go?” Clarke asked immediately as they walked into the lounge room.

“Good, baby is healthy,” Madi nodded slowly as Cole kissed her cheek.

“I’m gonna head upstairs,” Cole whispered and rubbed her bump one more time.

“Am I having a great-niece or nephew? Did you get to find out?” Raven got up and pulled her niece over to sit next to her.

“We did get to find out,” Madi nodded slowly as she relaxed back in her seat. “Cole and I haven’t decided yet if we’re telling everyone.”

“How many weeks are you?” Octavia asked as she rubbed her bump, she was only a few weeks away from giving birth herself.

“15 weeks tomorrow,” Madi spoke quietly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“15 weeks,” Octavia mumbled as her brows knitted together, knowing she was doing the math in her head.

“Leave it O,” Clarke hissed before Octavia could speak up.

“We haven’t told Cole’s parents yet,” Madi mumbled quietly as she looked down.

“But it’s not even his,” Octavia blurted out as if she was thinking out loud.

“O,” Clarke half growled as she glared at her sister in law.

“Sorry, baby brain makes me think out loud,” Octavia put her hands up defensively.

“Did you get any pictures from the ultrasound?” Aurora asked quietly as she moved closer to her granddaughter.

“Yeah,” Madi got the photos out of her bag and handed it to her grandmother.

“And Nyko said the baby is healthy? No issues?” Aurora asked quietly as she looked at the picture.

“She’s measuring perfectly, we're just waiting on the genetic tests,” Madi spoke quietly as she finished drinking her milkshake.

“It’s a girl?” Raven grinned widely as she pulled her into a side hug.

“I wasn’t supposed to say anything yet,” Madi bit her lip as she noticed that Cole had come back downstairs. “I’m sorry, it slipped out,” she looked at him as guilt settled down on her chest.

“We’re having a girl,” Cole grinned widely as he walked to stand near Madi.

“You’re having a girl?” Octavia spoke sceptically as she looked between Madi and Cole.

“Octavia, I swear to god,” Clarke growled and narrowed her eyes at her sister in law. “You really know how to not put your foot in your mouth.”

“I need to go get ready for lunch,” Madi mumbled as she stood up slowly, she felt beyond uncomfortable.

“Great going, O,” Raven rolled her eyes as Madi went upstairs with Cole.

“The baby isn’t even his and you guys are acting like this is completely normal,” Octavia defended.

“Enough Octavia,” Aurora snapped loudly.

Madi stopped walking up the stairs and went back downstairs. She felt angry and frustrated at her aunt.

“Baby,” Cole tried to stop Madi but she shook him off.

“What would you rather me do O?” Madi crossed her arms and glared at her aunt. “Get an abortion? Raise her alone? Or pretend to be a happy family with Zane?” Madi scoffed loudly. “Do you know what I’ve gone through since I found out I was pregnant? I was getting out of the hospital and I just found out I was pregnant by the guy who had just tried to kill me. I have resented this pregnancy so much up until today, today was the first day that I’m excited about my baby. I’m not afraid that I’m going to look at my baby and see his evil smile as he pushed me off that ledge, knowing that I would hit my head on the logs in the water and drown,” Madi wipes away her angry tears. “Do you know how thankful I am that Cole wants to be her dad? I never have to tell her that what her biological father did to me,” her hands balled up into fists and she glared at her aunt. “So I don’t need your opinions or your approval.”

Madi turned on her heels and went upstairs quickly. She got inside her room and made a beeline for her bathroom to be sick. She wiped her mouth and brushed her teeth before she came out of the bathroom to find Cole sitting on the edge of the bed with a grim yet angry look on his face.

“I don’t feel well,” Madi mumbled as she rubbed her stomach.

“He was the one that did that to you?” Cole spoke through his teeth. “You said you didn’t remember.”

“I didn’t at first, things started coming back in pieces,” Madi sighed quietly and moved to sit on the window. “I still don’t remember it all, I only remember him smiling before he pushed me off the ledge.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice softened.

“I didn’t want you to do something stupid because I know you’d do anything to protect and defend me,” she whispered and rubbed her stomach gently.

“You’re right about that,” he sighed and got up slowly. “You were really a momma bear down there,” he walked over to her slowly. “Our little girl is lucky to have you.”

Cole cupped her cheek gently and kissed her forehead.

“Do you want to skip lunch?” He asked quietly as he stroked her cheek gently.

“I’m sorry I just don’t feel well,” she mumbled closing her eyes.

“I’ll text Rachel and Ethan, lay down,” he spoke quietly and grabbed his phone from the dresser.

“You can still go,” she spoke quietly and stood up slowly.

Madi sighed quietly and rubbed her bump gently, frowning slightly.

“No baby,” he whispered as he finished texting. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah she’s just making room in there,” she mumbled quietly. “Nyko said its normal,” she looked down at her stomach slowly.

There was a long silence between them as Madi moved to the bed and sat down slowly.

“I love you Madi,” he whispered as he moved to stand in front of her.

“I love you too,” she whispered as she looked up at him. “You don’t know how bad I want to tear off your clothes right now,” she thought out loud and bit her lip slowly, her cheeks burned bright when she realised she had said it out loud.

“Oh really?” He smirked and kissed her slowly.

“Madi?” Ellie’s voice echoed through the door making the couple break their kiss.

“Coming GG,” Madi called out as she got up slowly.

Madi opened the bedroom door slowly to find Ellie waiting for her.

“You okay baby?” Ellie asked quietly and brushed Madi’s hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, just not feeling the best,” Madi spoke quietly and rubbed her bump. “I don’t really want to talk about what happened with O.”

“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay and to tell you that I’m excited about my great grandbaby,” Ellie smiled kindly. “Also, when you’re feeling up to it, Your nan and I would love to take you baby shopping. It happens to be one of our favourite things to do.”

“Thank you, GG,” Madi hugged Ellie tightly. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Baby,” Ellie pulled away from the hug with a wide smile. “Hey, Cole.”

“Yeah, Mrs Hunt?” Cole walked up behind Madi slowly.

“Call me Ellie,” She scolded with a smile. “You’re a good man, Cole. Our Madi and your baby are very lucky to have you.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Cole breathed out and Madi could tell he was emotional from it.

“It’s true,” Ellie smiled before she went to go back downstairs.

“It is true,” Madi whispered and turned back to face Cole.

Cole just drew her into a sweet tender kiss as he pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head as his hand rubbed her back gently.

"I'm happy you're feeling better about this," he whispered as he held her tighter.

"It's not her fault that Zane donated genetic material to make her," She mumbled quietly and buried her head into his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!  
Stay safe everybody


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Enjoy the new Chapter!

Madi hadn’t spoken to Octavia since the day of her ultrasound. She didn’t even go to the hospital when Octavia had her new son, Ash was born two days after what had happened. Octavia had tried to reach out but Madi wasn’t ready. In the week since her ultrasound, her bump had grown a fair significant amount and her mom had told her she had really popped out. She looked more pregnant especially when she was wearing tighter shirts. She had been taking shifts at the bar to earn some extra money to put away for the baby, Cole didn’t want her taking the shifts because he was worried about her hurting herself. Madi was able to assure him that she wasn’t going to do any heavy lifting or working alone. He would come and help her close up, making sure she was okay.  
  
Madi walked back behind the bar after clearing tables. It had been a busy night and she was tired from it. She was struggling to stifle her yawns as she went about her work. She turned around from dumping the empty bottles in the bin to find Cole’s dad sitting at the bar.  
  
“I want to talk to you,” Henry spoke in a stern tone as he watched her.  
  
“Okay,” Madi nodded at him slowly before looking at one of the other bartenders. “I’ll be back in a few,” she waited for the bartender to nod at her before she followed Henry to one of the tables in the corner.  
  
“You’re pregnant,” Henry commented as they sat down.  
  
“I am,” Madi confirmed as she sat down slowly.  
  
“My son’s?” He questioned her with a raised eyebrow.  
  
“Yes,” she nodded as she watched the older man in front of her carefully.  
  
“When were you two planning to tell us?” He grumbled slightly.  
  
“You haven’t seen Cole all summer,” She frowned deeply as she watched him. “You asked to talk to me, let’s talk.”  
  
“How is Cole?” His voice softened as he sighed defeated.  
  
“He’s good, I know he misses his dad,” She spoke quietly as she leant forward.  
  
“I overreacted... I beyond overreacted. I’m ashamed of the things I said,” he sighed again and ran his hand down his face. “I just didn’t want Cole to give up on his dreams.”  
  
“Nothing is going to stop him from becoming a doctor,” she sat back with a frown. “He’s already started planning how he’s not going to miss a class when the baby is born,” she absentmindedly started to rub her bump in small circles. “He has the determination to finish school and become a doctor no matter what happens. He will do it, I know he will. I won’t let him give up anything.”  
  
“I was wrong about you,” the older man watched her carefully.  
  
“You thought I would ruin his future, stop him from following his dreams,” she raised her eyebrow at him. “You thought just because I’m an artist, I’m a hippy and a freeloader. Someone who didn’t have a future or a career and someone who would live of your son’s earnings and success,” She narrowed her eyes at him as she put her hands on the table. “I won’t be a freeloader off your son, I’m going to work just as hard as your son to make sure we have the life we deserve and make sure our baby has everything it needs.”  
  
“Can you talk to him?” He asked quietly in a defeated tone. “Can you see if you can get him to come over for dinner tomorrow night? The both of you. Please,” he begged as he reached out to touch her hand.  
  
“I’ll talk to him but I can’t promise anything,” she moved her hands away slowly.  
  
“Is it a boy or a girl? Is everything healthy with the baby?” He asked quietly as he sat back.  
  
“It’s a girl and she’s healthy,” she spoke quietly before her phone started to ring. “I’ll talk to him.”  
  
Madi got up slowly and walked to the door that led to the upstairs office so she could answer the call.  
  
“Hey babe, I’m just heading over to bar now to pick you up,” Cole spoke as soon as she answered. “I’m just checking to see if my girls want me to pick up anything on my way over.”  
  
“You know if you keep feeding me the way you do I’m going to get fat,” Madi laughed quietly as she leant against the wall.  
  
“I don’t care as long as my girls are happy,” he chuckled loudly.  
  
“I’m good, I’m just going to finish up my shift,” she rubbed her stomach slowly. “I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, I’ll see you soon,” the love in his voice obvious before he hung up.  
  
Madi shoved her phone into her pocket and headed back out to finish her shift.  
  
  
———————————  
  
  
Madi couldn’t wait until they got into their bedroom at her parents' house. She was turned on, being pregnant made her want sex all the time. Even when she was feeling horrible from her morning sickness, if she saw Cole, boom turned on.  
  
She watched Cole sit on their bed and took his shirt off with a silent yawn. She bit her lip as she walked over to him slowly and drew him into a deep kiss as she straddled his lap.  
  
“How was your shift?” He mumbled against her lips.  
  
“It was busy,” she pulled away from the kiss knowing he wanted to talk. “Your dad came in to talk to me.”  
  
“What?” He frowned deeply and made her get off his lap.  
  
“He wanted to see if I would talk to you, he wants us to come to dinner tomorrow night,” she moved back giving him space.  
  
“Yeah, well we’re not going,” He growled loudly.  
  
“Cole, he’s sorry and I think we should give him chance,” she spoke softly and moved closer to him again. “Let’s give him the chance for her,” she wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his bare shoulder. “Let’s go to dinner and just see what happens.”  
  
“He’s going to run his mouth about you and how Our daughter is going to ruin my future,” he growled as he removed her hands from around him.  
  
“Cole,” she whispered and kissed his shoulder again.  
  
“Stop,” he ordered and stood up. “We’re not going and that’s final.”  
  
“Think about it please, maybe not tomorrow night but before we go back to campus,” she got up and moved closer to him again. “I think it will be good for your mom too,” she put her hand on his chest gently.  
  
“This conversation is over,” he removed her hand from his chest. “I’m not in the mood, Madi,” his tone slightly condescending.  
  
Madi just sighed and ran her hand through her hair as she walked to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her, they never locked the bathroom door unless they were in there together. They didn’t mind having each other walking in but right now Madi didn’t want him coming in there. She wanted to be alone.  
  
She was tired, it was after midnight, so she made quick work of showering. She came out of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around her and went to her draws to get her pyjamas. She quickly changed into them, keeping her back to Cole before she got into bed. She kept her back to him as she heard him sigh loudly before he turned the light off.  
  
  
———————————  
  
  
Madi was being stubborn and she knew it but she was too hormonal to not be stubborn. She woke up before Cole and left their room before she woke him. She only went back to the room to get their dirty clothes so she would do their laundry.  
  
“Madi,” Cole went to touch her arm but she kept grabbing with stuff and throwing it into the basket.  
  
Madi stormed downstairs to the basement and started to throw their clothes into the washing machine.  
  
“Madi, come on please,” Cole pleaded as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.  
  
“Cole, I’m trying to do our laundry,” Madi growled loudly as she grabbed his arms and untangled them from around her.  
  
“Baby, come on, I’m sorry about last night,” he whispered but she kept ignoring him.  
  
He grabbed her hips, spinning her around so he could kiss her deeply. She cursed inwardly as she gave in to the kiss and let him pick her up to place her on top of the washing machine. He broke the kiss and kept his forehead pressed against hers.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he cupped her cheek. “You’re right, I should at least hear him out but if he says one negative thing about you or our daughter, we’re leaving.”  
  
“Deal,” she whispered and put her hands on his hips.  
  
“I love you,” he gave her a feather-light kiss.  
  
“I love you too,” her lips brushed against his as she spoke.  
  
Cole started to give her multiple kisses which caused her to giggle into his mouth. He kissed along her jawline to her neck.  
  
“Cole,” she half moaned loudly. “Stop, someone is going to catch us.”  
  
“No one is home,” he mumbled against her neck as his fingers hooked into her shorts to start pulling them down.  
  
The sound of someone clearing their throat made Cole jump away from Madi.  
  
“I’d prefer if you didn’t defile my daughter in my basement,” Bellamy grumbled loudly making Madi nervously laugh.  
  
“We were just doing our laundry,” Madi spoke as she got off the washing machine.  
  
“I wasn’t born yesterday,” Bellamy rolled his eyes slowly. “Your uncles are coming over to play video games,” he turned his attention to Cole. “Want to join us?”  
  
“Yeah sure,” Cole nodded slowly.  
  
“Madi, I think you should go upstairs, there’s someone you need to talk to,” Bellamy spoke firmly as he crossed his arms.  
  
Madi sighed and started to walk upstairs slowly. She knew Octavia was waiting upstairs for her. She walked into the lounge room to find Octavia waiting for her with a baby capsule sitting on the coffee table.  
  
“Madi, I’m sorry,” Octavia spoke immediately. “I put my foot in my mouth big time and I hurt you. I’m sorry Madi, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I wasn’t thinking about it properly, I was just voicing my opinion without thinking about how this was affecting you,” Octavia's voice was quiet as she watched her niece.  
  
“I know it’s not conventional but I didn’t ask Cole to be her dad, I could never ask him to do that,” Madi spoke quietly as her hands fidgeted nervously. “Cole could’ve walked away and I wouldn’t blame him. He was the one who wants to be in her life as her dad.”  
  
“He’s a good man, Madi,” Octavia spoke quietly as she looked down. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as Madi moved to it on the couch next to her.  
  
“It’s okay,” Madi put her hand on top of Octavia’s gently. “I think the fact that I’m becoming a mom has made me realise that I shouldn’t hold grudges over the smaller stuff especially with family.”  
  
“Madi,” Octavia whispered as tears started to stream down her face and she pulled Madi into a tight hug.  
  
“Let me meet Ash,” Madi whispered as she pulled away from the hug slowly.  
  
“At least he’ll have a little cousin close to his age,” Octavia laughed quietly and got the sleeping baby out of his carrier before passing him over to Madi.  
  
“He’s perfect, O,” Madi smiled down at the baby in her arms. “He looks so much like Lincoln,” she smiled and kissed the baby’s forehead gently.  
  
“He’s a lot darker than Freya was when she was born,” Octavia laughed quietly.  
  
“He has so much hair,” Madi laughed as she stroked the baby’s hair. “It’s so dark.”  
  
Madi kept smiling down at the baby in her arms, knowing that in another five months she was going to have one of her own.  
  
“Hey babe,” Cole’s voice drew her attention away from the baby. “I just called my mom, dinner is at 6.”  
  
“Okay sounds good,” Madi smiled at him slowly.  
  
“Cole, about the other week, I’m really sorry,” Octavia looked up Cole.  
  
“It’s okay,” Cole nodded slowly before he smiled down at the baby in Madi’s arms. “Is this little Ash?”  
  
“You want to hold him?” Octavia grinned proudly.  
  
Cole nodded and took the baby off Madi. He immediately started to rock the baby gently and cooed at the baby.  
  
“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Madi thought out loud causing Octavia to laugh.  
  
“You’re in for a treat when the baby is born,” Octavia laughed quietly.  
  
“You like this huh?” Cole smirked and gave Madi a small wink.  
  
Madi suddenly felt flutters in her stomach, she rubbed her stomach slowly and looked down.  
  
“I think she’s moving,” Madi whispered as she rubbed her stomach.  
  
“She is?” Cole raises his eyebrow excited as he reached down to touch her stomach.  
  
“Yeah, it feels like little flutters,” Madi whispered still in shock. “Is that her moving?” She looked at Octavia for confirmation.  
  
“That’s her moving,” Octavia grinned excited and rubbed Madi’s shoulder.  
  
“That’s our little girl,” Cole grinned as he rubbed her bump in small circles.  
  
Our girl was the sweetest words she could hear in that moment. The reassurance that he was there with her and would be there for this baby.  
  
  
——————————  
  
  
Madi could tell Cole was nervous even before they left the house, he was even more nervous when he pulled up his parents' house. He just sat there staring at the house for a few moments.  
  
“Are you okay?” Madi asked quietly as she watched him.  
  
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Cole nodded slowly and got out of the car.  
  
Madi got out of the car slowly and grabbed Cole’s hand gently. She gave his hand a gentle kiss, trying to reassure him.  
  
“Come on, let’s go in,” he squeezed her hand and started to walk towards the house.  
  
Jane opened the door as soon as Cole knocked and Cole let go of Madi’s hand to pull his mom into a tight hug.  
  
“Mom,” Cole whispered as he hugged his mom.  
  
Madi knew Cole missed his parents and she didn’t realise how much until this moment, even though they had seen Jane the day after the ultrasound. Cole decided that he wasn’t going to tell his parents that the baby wasn't his biological child, he had decided this early because he didn’t want it to cause any more problems.  
  
“Madi,” Jane gave Madi a tight hug before pulling away to take in Madi’s appearance. “How have you been? The baby?”  
  
“I’ve been good and she's good, we have one more appointment with Nyko before we go back to campus,” Madi smiled as Cole put his hand on her back.  
  
“Madi felt her move today,” Cole smiled proudly at his mom.  
  
“I may have picked up a few things for her already,” Jane laughed quietly as they walked into the house. “I went shopping with Aurora and Ellie.”  
  
“Between all of you, this little girl is going to be very spoiled,” Madi laughed quietly.  
  
Henry walked out of the kitchen slowly, he looked timid and worried.  
  
“Hi Cole, Madi, thank you for coming,” Henry spoke quietly as he looked at the young couple.  
  
“Hi dad,” Cole spoke quietly and the tension in the room was obvious.  
  
“Hi Mr Ryan, thank you guys for inviting us to dinner,” Madi spoke in a soft voice trying to break the tension.  
  
“You must be hungry, let me just go finish dinner,” Jane spoke up before disappearing into the kitchen.  
  
“I’ll go help Jane,” Madi spoke up and followed Jane into the kitchen to leave Them to talk alone. “What can I do to help?”  
  
“Nothing, dinner is ready, I’ve just got to serve it up,” Jane explained as she leant against the bench. “I thought it would be best to give them time to talk alone.”  
  
Madi nodded slowly and rubbed her bump slowly. She was having growing pains but she knew it was just normal.  
  
“Growing pains?” Jane asked quietly as she watched Madi carefully.  
  
“Yeah, I called Nyko the other day about them and he wanted to do another ultrasound,” Madi spoke quietly and leant against the bench.  
  
“Does he think there’s something wrong?” Jane frowned slightly as she watched Madi.  
  
“No, he just wants to check how much she’s grown before we go back to campus and I start seeing the new doctor,” Madi explained quietly and gave Jane a small smile.  
  
“Have you and Cole talked about how you’re going to set up for when the baby comes?” Jane asked quietly.  
  
“The apartment has a third room, Ethan and Rachel said that we could use it as the baby’s room,” Madi explained running her hand through her hair. “I’m taking my normal classes this semester then online for the next semester. Cole is going to talk to his professors at the beginning of next semester to talk about missing classes if I go into labour while he’s in class. He wants to be there for the birth but he wants to make sure that it’s not going to affect his classes.”  
  
“I should come up and help you guys with the baby for a while, I know your mom is talking about doing that too. We can work it out to do alternating weeks until you guys are comfortable,” Jane explained as she walked over to the fridge. “What do you feel like drinking?”  
  
“Do you have any juice?” Madi asked quietly and watched Jane immediately get a jug of juice out.  
  
The pain in her stomach suddenly intensified and she put her hand on her stomach with a frown.  
  
“Are you okay?” Jane frowned deeply as she put the juice on the bench.  
  
“Yeah,” Madi nodded as her lips pressed into a fine line.  
  
Madi tried to keep her breathing steady as she waited for the pain to pass.  
  
“Madi, what’s wrong?” Jane frowned deeply as she put her hand on Madi’s back.  
  
“It hurts,” Madi whispered in a shaky voice as the pain started to ease. “I think it’s passing.”  
  
“Maybe we should get you to the hospital,” Jane frowned deeply as she got closer to Madi.  
  
“No, it’s fine, Nyko said that I should only go if I’m spotting and the pain doesn’t stop,” Madi relaxed as the pain completely passed. “It just got a little intense for a second.”  
  
“It’ll get easier,” Jane gave her a reassuring pat on her back.  
  
“At least she’s healthy,” Madi looked down and rubbed her stomach.  
  
Henry appeared in the doorway of the kitchen with a wide smile.  
  
“Shall we get dinner started?” Henry grinned even wider as he looked between Madi and Jane. “You must be hungry,” he looked at Madi as she rubbed her bump slowly.  
  
“She’s always hungry,” Cole chuckled as he walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arm around Madi’s waist. “And horny,” he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.  
  
Madi felt herself fill with excitement as she grabbed Cole’s waist causing him to chuckle quietly. He pressed a kiss to her temple before she unwrapped herself from him to help Jane serve up dinner.  
  
Madi had managed to calm down by the time they had sat down for dinner. She was surprised that there wasn’t any tension left between Cole and his father. It seemed like a normal family dinner.  
  
“How far along are you Madi?” Henry broke their comfortable silence.  
  
“16 weeks,” Madi answered quietly as she pushed her food around her plate, suddenly not feeling well, knowing what was about to happen.  
  
“16 weeks?” Henry made a face and Madi felt her stomach churn.  
  
“We hooked up, Madi had just gotten into a bad fight with Zane and I picked her up,” Cole explained easily as he held Madi’s hand under the table. “We didn’t realise then what Zane was really like.”  
  
“Is there any chance the baby isn’t yours?” Henry raised his eyebrow at Cole.  
  
“She’s my daughter,” Cole spoke firmly as he squeezed Madi’s hand.  
  
“But is she yours biologically?” Henry question further.  
  
“She’s MY daughter,” Cole repeated even firmer than before. “That’s all you need to know.”  
  
“Okay,” Henry nodded dropping the subject, not wanting to cause a fight with his son.  
  
“She’s our granddaughter and we love her either way,” Jane spoke up and gave her husband a look.  
  
Madi felt awkward sitting there and she couldn’t help but look down feeling ashamed that she caused this situation.  
  
“You’re right Jane, she’s our granddaughter,” Henry’s voice was more relaxed than before. “We’re joining the grandparent club.”  
  
“I was going to say we’re young to be grandparents but Aurora and Tybe are great grandparents,” Jane laughed and took a sip of her drink.  
  
Madi felt herself relax slightly as Cole lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss the back of her hand gently.  
  
“You okay baby?” Cole asked quietly as he stroked her hand with his thumb.  
  
“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly as she rubbed her bump in a small circle. “I’m not feeling too good, I’m just going to get some air.”  
  
“Okay,” he let go of her hand and watched her get up slowly, walking outside.  
  
Madi felt overwhelmed with emotions and her tears were already spilling before she got out the door. She knew it was the pregnancy hormones making her feel even more emotional. She lent against the wall and just let the tears flow.  
  
"Babe?" Cole came out of the house slowly. "Are you okay?" He was in front of her in an instance and wiping away her tears.  
  
"Yeah, just hormonal," she mumbled quietly and looked down. "It's just a lot. You shouldn't lie about being her biological father, Cole."

Cole stood back as a deep frown formed on his brow and crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at her.

"She's my daughter, Madi," He spoke through his teeth with a half growl. 

"I know," she sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to do this, that you have to claim her."

"Madi, I know I don't have to, I want to," he sighed quietly and ran a hand through his hair. "I know I'm not obligated to be, I want to be."

"I just don't want you to feel like I've trapped you, that you have to do this," she looked down and ran a hand over her stomach. "I don't want you to grow to resent me because I've stopped you from doing things or having fun."  
  
"Madi," he sighed quietly and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I could never resent you. I don't care what I miss out on, as long as I get to come home to you and our baby girl. You two are more important than any party or outing," he kissed her forehead gently and rubbed her bump. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered as he lifted her chin and kissed her gently.

"Come on, you need to feed peanut," he gave her a small smile before leading her inside slowly.  
  
\---------------- ------------------ --------------------- 

Madi sighed quietly as she sat in the cafe waiting for their food to arrive, they were getting breakfast before her last appointment with Nyko. Her mom was coming with them this time, she wanted to be there for the ultrasound. Madi had barely slept all night, between being uncomfortable and having nightmares, sleep evaded her. This left her in a less than happy mood, a complete contrast to Cole and Clarke's excitement.

"Was Zane born deaf?" Clarke asked quietly as she watched her daughter carefully.

"Yeah, it's genetic," Madi sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Hopefully the genetic tests give us an answer otherwise we have to wait for her to be born."

"You okay?" Clarke frowned slowly as she watched her daughter carefully.

"Yeah just didn't sleep properly," Madi sat up slowly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I just want her to be okay."  
  
"She will be," Clarke rubbed Madi's back gently.

Cole came back from the bathroom and sat next to Madi, he kissed her temple gently as their food came.

"Thank god, I'm starving,” Madi smiled slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 24!

Madi sat in Nyko’s office between Cole and her mother, she was nervous. She wanted answers. She wanted to know if her daughter was going to be okay. She bit her lip as her fingers fiddled in her lap, Nyko had already done an ultrasound which both Cole and Clarke were excited for. Madi’s fears had overwhelmed her excitement to see the ultrasound.

“Madi, I know you have some concerns about the genetic test,” Nyko spoke up, immediately getting all of Madi’s attention. 

“Yes,” Madi nodded slowly as Cole laced his fingers through hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

“The genetic test came back normal, there are no markers that would raise any flags, your baby is healthy. Your other tests came back normal,” Nyko smiled slowly as Madi felt a huge weight being lifted off her chest.

“See I told you everything was going to be okay,” Clarke smiled at Madi.

“I’m going to send my notes over to your new doctor but from what I can tell you’ll have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Relax and enjoy it,” Nyko smiled as he closed Madi’s file. “It was nice meeting you Cole,” Nyko smiled and shook Cole’s hand. 

“It was nice meeting you too, thank you,” Cole smiled as he withdrew his hand from Nyko.

“Clarke, Madi, it’s good seeing you two and make sure you bring her around once she’s here,” Nyko smiled brightly.

“Thanks, Nyko,” Clarke smiled as they stood up.

“Thank you,” Madi spoke quietly as she rubbed her stomach.

After her appointment, the three of them headed to Walmart as Clarke insisted, they needed to check whatever else they needed for the new apartment. Madi sighed quietly as she followed her mother into the baby section.

“Mom, isn’t it early for this?” Madi asked quietly as she ran her hand through her hair.

“Nope,” Clarke popped the ‘p’ as she kept walking, heading straight to the newborn section. “We’re just having a look. I want to get an idea of what we need to get you, I’ll probably come up to see you guys so we can go buy the baby furniture.”

Clarke immediately started to comb through the clothes for newborn baby girls as Madi stood back watching her mother.

“Babe, look at this,” Cole had a grin from ear to ear as he held up a pink onesie that said Daddy’s little princess on it.

Madi couldn’t help but smile at him, she loved how excited he was. Seeing him like this made her relax slightly, she smiled and took the onesie off him.

“Let’s get it,” Madi smiled slowly and she watched his grin grow even bigger. “We need to get some sheets and towels for the new place.”

“What else do you need?” Clarke asked as she walked towards them with a couple of onesies in hand.

“Umm laundry hamper and pillows,” Madi spoke quietly as they started to walk out of the baby section. 

“Cole, do you need anything?” Clarke asked as they walked towards the homeware section.

“Clarke?” An older female’s voice drew Clarke’s attention and Clarke stopped in her tracks, looking up to see none other than Abby and Marcus standing in front of her.

“Abby, Marcus,” Clarke spoke stiffly as she looked at them.

Abby looked Madi up and down with a disapproving look, a quiet humph leaving her lips.

“Clarke,” Marcus spoke in a softer tone as he smiled at them. “How are you? Bellamy and the kids?”

“They’re good thanks,” Clarke didn’t relax her tone as she watched them. “We should be going though,” Clarke turned back to Madi. “Come on, Madi, Cole.”

‘She’s more of a bitch then I remember,’ Madi signed to her mother quickly.

“Clarke, we should catch up with you and the kids,” Marcus stopped Clarke from walking away.

“Like mother like daughter,” Abby muttered under her breath and Madi could’ve sworn steam was going to burst out of her mother’s ears.

“I see over 20 years still haven’t made you any less of a bitch,” Clarke narrowed her eyes at her mother. “Don’t you ever judge my daughter, at least I didn’t abandon her.”

“I just think-,” Abby started earning a glare from Marcus and Clarke cut her off immediately.

“Madi is an adult, she doesn’t need the likes of you judging her with your holier than thou attitude,” Clarke growled before grabbing Madi’s hand walking her away from Marcus and Abby. “Don’t listen to her Madi,” Clarke tried to calm down as they walk down one of the aisles.

“Mom, I know not to listen to her. Are you okay?” Madi frowned concerned as she watched her mother carefully.

“Yeah, you know how she makes me,” Clarke slowly started to calm down. 

“Who was that?” Cole asked quietly as he put his arm protectively around Madi’s shoulders.

“My Mother,” Clarke sighed loudly.

“She’s a bitch,” Madi whispered as she hugged her mom, knowing it’ll help her calm down.

Clarke pulled away from the hug when another distinctive voice filled the air. 

“You can’t tell your moms about this, they will kill me,” Murphy’s voice echoed closer to them.

Suddenly, Murphy walks into the aisle Clarke, Madi and Cole were in. He was followed closely by James, Freya, Augustus and Julian, their arms were full of bags of candy.

“We’ve been spotted!” Murphy hisses to his entourage. “Run!”

Murphy bolted off with all four kids following him in a slight panic. Clarke and Madi share a look before bursting out laughing. Jasper and Monty were walking past the aisle that they were standing in, their arms stacked with Soda and more candy. 

“Shit, hi mom!” Jasper gives off a guilty smile as he struggles to wave with his full arms.

“Are you hyping my kids up with candy and soda?” Clarke pulls a serious look as she raises an eyebrow at Monty and Jasper.

Monty and Jasper share a look, calculating a plan silently.

“Run,” they say in unison before sprinting off.

Clarke bursts out laughing again, the stress of seeing her mother and Marcus melting away.

“Trust that lot to turn your day around,” Clarke giggled as covered her mouth.

****************************************** 

Madi laid on the couch in the basement, she had put the last of their washing on while Cole was packing up their cars with the help of Theo and the twins. She wasn’t feeling well, she was tired and just overall just feeling like shit. They were leaving in the morning and then they had to get their apartment set up. She wasn’t looking forward to it at all.

“Madi?” Minerva’s voice echoed through the basement as she came downstairs.

“Yeah?” Madi groaned as she sat up.

“You look like shit,” Minerva plopped down on the couch next to Madi.

“I feel like shit,” Madi sighed loudly and ran her hand through her hair. 

“Want to get some milkshakes or is my niece torturing you too much?” Minerva raised her eyebrow at her sister.

“Milkshakes sound like the best thing and the worst thing at the same time,” Madi mumbled, making Minerva laugh. “Being pregnant sucks,” She grumbled loudly.

“Babe!” Cole called out as started to come downstairs.

“Yeah?” Madi sighed quietly as she forced herself off the couch.

“How long on the laundry? We’ve finished up the cars, I just need to head over to Walmart and pick up the last couple things,” Cole made it to the bottom of the stairs, frowning slightly at the sight of Madi. 

“20 minutes,” Madi sighed as she rubbed her stomach slowly.

“Maybe you should go lay down,” Cole frowned slowly as he brushed her hair behind her ear. “I’ll finish this up.”

“Thank you,” Madi closed her eyes as he stomach churned.

Within an instant, Madi was running to the bathroom and emptying the contents of her stomach. Cole behind her in an instant, holding her hair back and rubbing her back.

“Go away,” Madi groaned in between bouts of throwing up. “This is gross.”

She sat back and wiped her mouth as Cole flushed the toilet and got her a glass of water. Madi groaned as she held her stomach.

“Oh god,” Madi groaned as she started throwing up again. “This sucks.” 

“I’m going to get you some tea,” Cole quickly exited the bathroom and Madi kept throwing up.

After ten minutes, Madi came out of the bathroom after completely emptying her stomach. She went upstairs and brushed her teeth immediately, groaning at the sight of herself in the mirror. She was pale, all the colour had drained from her face. She splashed her faces with water before heading downstairs to the kitchen.

“You okay babe?” Cole frowned as he came over to her with her tea.

“Yeah,” she sighed as she took the tea from him. “The joy of morning sickness is that it happens all day.”

“I’m sorry baby,” Cole rubbed her bump gently as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“I don’t know how my mom did this three times,” She sighed as she watched her mother walk into the house followed by her aunts, Octavia Raven and Harper.

“You okay Madz?” Raven frowned slightly as she took in her niece’s appearance.

“Yeah, Morning sickness is just kicking my ass today,” Madi sighed heavily as she leant against Cole’s side.

“I barely got morning sickness with Ash,” Octavia shrugged as she rocked the baby in her arms. 

“Screw you,” Madi groaned as Cole kissed the top of her head.

“You should have seen her with Freya, it made her the grumpiest person and not to mention the fact that she couldn’t drink coffee,” 

Clarke laughed quietly.

“I’m craving coffee so bad,” Madi whined as she closed her eyes.

Her mother and Aunts laughed quietly as Madi sighed rubbing her forehead.

“I need to head to Walmart before dinner, I’m assuming you don’t want to come?” Cole looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Can you get me some ginger ale?” Madi looked up at him slowly. 

“Anything for my girls,” He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll be back soon, the twins are going to come with me.”

“Okay, I’m going to go to bed,” Madi sighed quietly and rubbed the back of her neck.

Madi sighed and went upstairs slowly to her room with her peppermint tea.

**********************************************

By the time Cole got back from Walmart with the twins, Madi was laying in the bath. She hadn’t been able to keep the tea down but she was positive she had nothing left she could throw up. Her stomach hurt from throwing up so much, so she got into the bath hoping it would make her feel better. Despite being in the bath she could feel herself shivering. 

“Babe?” Cole spoke quietly as he came into the bathroom. “Are you feeling any better?” he knelt beside the tub and gently stroked her cheek.

“I feel horrible,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes. “Can you help me get out?” 

Cole grabbed a towel and scooped her out of the water, that’s when he noticed her shivering. A frown grew on his face as he heard her wince.

“My stomach just hurts from throwing up so much,” she explained quietly as he set her down to dry her off and put her robe on her. “I kept throwing up after you left, the tea didn’t help.”

“I’m calling Nyko,” Cole spoke firmly as he scooped her up again and laid her down in bed.

“Cole, you don’t have to, I’m fine,” she sighed as Cole pulled the blankets up over her more.

“I’m calling Nyko, then he can tell us what we should do,” Cole spoke firmly as he grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialled Nyko’s number. “Hi my girlfriend, Madi Blake is a patient, she’s been throwing up all day. She hasn’t been able to hold down anything.”

Madi watched Cole pace as he listened to the other person on the phone.

“Sixteen weeks,” he answered anxiously. “It’s our first baby,” he rubbed the back of his neck as he paced faster. “She’s really pale and she’s shivering,” he stopped pacing and listened intently. “Okay, I’ll bring her in now.”

Cole shoved his phone in his pocket and grabbed a backpack, putting some of Madi’s clothes into there.

“Nyko wants you admitted into the hospital,” The panic and worry was clear in his voice as he zipped up the bag. “He wants to run some tests.”

“Okay,” Madi mumbled and sat up, pulling off her robe and started to put on the sweats Cole handed her.

“I’m going to go tell your parents while you get dressed,” he waited for her to nod before he rushed downstairs.

************************************************

Four hours later, Madi laid curled up a hospital bed, she had an IV and heart rate monitor. They had to give her medication to stop her from throwing up. Cole sat in the chair next to her bed as he stroked her cheek gently and his other hand resting on her bump. Madi was half asleep, she felt weak from not having anything in her stomach and the pain from dry heaving. Cole looked tired and stressed out, he just kept stroked her cheek gently wanting her to know that he was there.

Cole sat up immediately when he saw the doctor walk in and Madi felt herself wake up a little more.

“It seems you have a rather bad case of morning sickness,” The doctor spoke quietly.

“You don’t say,” Madi grumbled as she tried to force the feeling to dry heave down.

“The baby checks out fine but we’re going to keep you admitted for a couple of days, just to make sure the vomiting doesn’t get any worse,” the doctor explained quietly as he picked up Madi’s chart. “You OBGYN will be coming in to see you tomorrow. For now, just get some rest.”

The doctor turned on his heels and walked out as quickly as he came in.

“Go home, you’ve spent enough of this summer in the hospital with me,” she sighed quietly and pulled the blanket over her more.

“I’m not leaving you,” Cole kissed her forehead gently and held her hand.

“Go home and get some sleep, you can come back first thing in the morning,” she whispered already starting to doze off.

“Not a chance,” he whispered and took her hand in his, kissing it gently.

“But you’re tired,” she mumbled half asleep already.

“Just get some sleep,” he whispered and kissed her hand gently.

**************************************** 

Sleep comes to her and dreams overtook her mind. 

Madi crawled back into bed after checking on Anna. It was almost eleven and was waiting for Cole to get home, she expected him home hours ago but figured he went to the library to study. She was tired, running around after a toddler who had just discovered she could keep her parents on their toes. Madi heard footsteps coming down the hall and immediately knew it was Cole. He made it into their bedroom and crawled across the bed to kiss her slowly. 

“Hey baby,” he mumbled as he pulled back from the kiss and started unbuttoning his shirt. 

“Hey, you’re home late,” she commented as she sat up and pulled her hair out of its bun. 

“I forgot to text you to tell you that I was going to the library to study,” he sighed loudly as he pulled his shirt off. 

“It’s okay, I figured that,” she shook her hair free as she got off the bed slowly. 

“I’m going to try and get to the library as much as I can before exams,” he sighed loudly as he faced the dresser. 

“Would it be easier if I went to visit our parents until exams are over?” She whispered and snaked her arms around his waist from behind. 

“I still want to be able to come home to you and Anna,” he took off his watch slowly before raking his hand down his face. “I have so much to do,” he groaned loudly. 

“How about this weekend, I take Anna out so you can stay here and study? We’ll go to the park, get some shopping done and hang out in my studio,” She spoke quietly and pressed a kiss to the bare skin of his back. 

“That would be perfect,” he whispered and rubbed the back of his neck. 

She kissed his back again and slowly moved her hands down to the waistband of his pants but he grabbed her hands to stop her. 

“Not tonight,” he whispered and untangled her arms from him. 

“Okay,” she stepped back slowly and rubbed the back of her neck. 

“I just want to go to bed,” he groaned as he dropped his pants and crawled into bed. 

The sound of Anna crying made Madi sigh quietly as she walked down the hall to find her daughter sitting up in bed. 

“Come here baby,” Madi whispered and picked Anna up, kissing her head gently. 

“Mommy,” Anna sobbed loudly into Madi’s chest. 

“Did you have a bad dream baby?” Madi stroked her daughter’s back gently. “It’s okay, Mommy’s here.”

“Is she okay?” Cole’s voice made Madi turn around. 

“I think she just had a nightmare,” Madi spoke quietly as Anna reached out for Cole. 

“Come here princess,” Cole took the little girl and kissed her cheek gently. “Do you want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy?”

Anna wrapped her arms around Cole’s neck tightly as he walked her back to her parents' bedroom. Cole got back into bed with Anna clinging to him. 

“Hey babe, can you put my phone on charge?” Cole asked before Madi got to the bed. 

“Yeah,” Madi nodded and grabbed his phone from the dresser, plugging it into the charger. 

The screen illuminated as soon as she plugged the charger in and a message on the screen caught her eye immediately. 

_ Jade 11:13 pm: I had a lot of fun tonight. We should do it again x _

Madi’s stomach dropped, she put his phone down and got into bed. Anna was already back asleep, clinging onto Cole tightly. 

“Night babe,” Cole mumbled in a sleepy voice. 

“Night,” Madi whispered as she curled up under the blankets. 

——————————— 

Madi barely slept all night, she couldn’t stop thinking about the message she saw on Cole’s phone. She knew there was a chance that it was completely innocent, she trusted Cole but something seemed different lately and this was what was making her doubt it. She was already awake when Anna woke up at 6:30 am. She scooped up the toddler to take her out to the lounge room so she didn’t wake up Cole. 

Anna liked to cuddle for a while before she started to really wake up. Madi sat on the couch and let Anna cuddle up in her lap. Madi couldn’t stop her mind from racing as she sat holding Anna. 

Anna was starting to become more lively when Cole emerged from their room after being awakened by his alarm. Anna wiggled her way off Madi’s lap and waddled her way over to Cole. 

“Good morning baby girl,” Cole grinned as he scooped up Anna, kissing her cheek. “Morning,” he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Madi’s head. 

“Morning,” Madi spoke quietly as she got up and walked into the kitchen. 

“I’m going to be home late again tonight,” he followed her into the kitchen. 

She felt sick, she couldn’t get her thoughts off the message she saw. She poured two cups of coffee and handed one to him. 

“I’m going to head to the library straight after classes,” he explained further as he took a sip of his coffee before he put it down. 

He opened the fridge to get out the stuff for Anna’s breakfast before he put the toddler down on the ground. 

“Want me to leave some dinner for you?” She asked quietly as she started to cut up everything for Anna’s breakfast. 

“No, it’s okay, I’ll just get take out,” he shook his head slowly as he grabbed out the bowls for their breakfast. “What are you two getting up to today?”

“We’re going to get coffee with Ethan and then I’m going to try to get some work done in my studio. I need to finish up the last couple works to send to Vincent,” she spoke quietly as she finished getting breakfast ready. 

“I’ve got to finish getting ready,” he grabbed his coffee and went back to the bedroom. 

The sick feeling sunk in Madi’s stomach again and she felt her chest start to ache. 

—————————— 

Madi watched as Anna plays with her doll as she waited for Ethan to come back with their coffee. She still felt sick, she knew something was up and she knew something bad was going to happen or already had happened. Ethan frowned at her as he came back to the table with their coffees. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Ethan sat down slowly. 

“Can this conversation stay between us?” Madi asked quietly as she looked down slowly and palmed her cup of coffee. 

“Of course,” He leant forward as his eyes watched Madi’s face carefully. 

“I think something is going on,” she mumbled quietly. “Cole got me to plug his phone in last night and I saw a message on his home screen from a girl named Jade.”

Ethan didn’t respond and Madi suddenly felt stupid, she was overthinking it. 

“Ignore me, I’m probably just overthinking this,” she shook her head and sighed loudly. 

“Rachel told me about her, she’s Cole’s study partner,” he spoke quietly as Anna slid off her chair and wanted to sit on Ethan’s lap. “Oh, you want to sit with Uncle Ethan?” He chuckled and picked up the toddler. 

“God, I am overthinking this,” She groaned as she rubbed her forehead. “I must be hormonal.”

“Your pregnant?” He seemed excited as he played with Anna. 

“You have to have sex to get pregnant,” she rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. “Cole’s too tired and stressed to be interested.”

“Really? In lead up to exams, Rachel can’t get enough, she says it’s the best way to clear her mind when it’s all too much,” he gave Anna a cookie and she showed it off to Madi with a grin. 

“Uncle Ethan spoiling you?” She smiled at her daughter as the toddler started eating the cookie immediately. “I’m ready for Summer to start already, we can de-stress and get away for a bit.”

“What are you guys going to do?” he played with Anna’s hair slowly. 

“After we go away for the 4th, Cole’s parents are going to take Anna for a weekend and I’ve booked a weekend away at this lake house. Just the two of us,” she explained as she palmed her coffee. 

“That should be good,” he wiggles his eyebrows making her laugh. 

———————————

Things still felt weird in the three weeks since Madi saw that message on Cole’s phone. Madi wanted to do something for Cole to celebrate him finishing his last exam. She had bought his favourite ice cream and baked his favourite brownies. She wasn’t making him dinner because he already had plans to go out with his classmates after their exam. She had taken Anna out to play for most of the day knowing she’d sleep throughout the night. She picked out one of her Victoria secret lingerie set and got changed just before he was due home. 

_ Cole 9:15 pm: hey I’m gonna stay out for a bit longer, don’t wait up.  _

Madi sighed loudly and threw her phone down on the bed. She got changed out of the lingerie and into a set of pyjamas. She gave up on any hopes of anything happening tonight and called it a night. 

—————————- 

Waking up alone the next morning made her worry, she had no messages or calls from Cole. The dread set in after she had been up for almost four hours without any sign of Cole. She called him and sent him messages with no response. She put Anna down for a nap and called Cole again, she felt a sense of relief when Cole answered. 

“Shit, sorry babe,” Cole groaned loudly, the fact that he had just woken up was obvious. 

“Thank god you’re okay,” Madi breathed out relaxing. 

“Who is it?” A female voice spoke in the background and Madi felt her heart sink immediately. 

“I’ll be home soon,” he spoke quickly trying to get off the phone quickly. 

He hung up and Madi felt tears stinging her eyes, she felt her chest tighten painfully. She sat unmoving, her tears didn’t spill, she just sat there staring into space. Her chest was aching painfully and it got worse as she waited for him to get home, it felt like an eternity. 

She still didn’t move when he got home, she was still in shock. Even seeing the message on his phone she trusted him but now she couldn’t trust him that nothing happened. 

“Madi, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise how much I drank,” he spoke immediately as he crossed the space between the front door and the lounge room. 

“I need to call Rachel to pick up Anna,” Madi’s voice came out empty as she stood up. 

“Why?” His voice sounded confused as he got closer to her. 

“I don’t want our daughter here when we have this conversation,” she spoke coldly as she walked away to call Rachel. 

Rachel didn’t have to be asked twice to pick up Anna, within 10 minutes she had picked up the sleeping toddler. This left Madi and Cole alone, anger and hurt were building up in Madi. 

“Did you sleep with her?” Madi asked firmly as she crossed her arms. 

There was a long moment of silence between them and Madi was getting angrier by the moment. 

“I’m sorry,” Cole’s voice broke as he watched her. 

The anger was overcome by pain, she felt the pain tear at her chest. She hid her face in her hands until she heard him take a few steps towards her. 

“I was drunk Madi, it just happened. I’m sorry, I should’ve just come home and not gone to Jade’s apartment,” he stumbled through his words as he reached out for her. 

“It didn’t just happen, Cole,” she pushed his hand away. “Has it happened more than once?” 

“No,” he shook his head firmly. “It was one stupid night.”

Madi went to say something but she couldn’t, she walked away from him and to their bedroom. She heard him follow her but she didn’t care. She grabbed a suitcase from the top shelf of their wardrobe and put it on their bed. 

“Madi, please,” he begged as he grabbed her arms to stop her. 

“I’m taking Anna to my parents’,” she pulled herself out of his grip and started to pack her clothes into the suitcase. 

“Madi stop,” he closed the suitcase to try and stop her. 

“You slept with her, Cole, you cheated on me,” she stopped packing and crossed her arms. “Why? Does she understand you more? Is she prettier? Smarter?”

Madi sat on the bed and hid her face in her hands as she sobbed loudly. She stayed like that for a long time as he remained silent. She uncovered her face as she stood up and wiping away her tears. 

“Can you just tell me why you did it?” Her voice broke as her arms hugged herself. 

“It was a mistake, I never meant for it to happen,” his voice broke as he stepped closer to her. “I’m sorry,” tears stung his eyes as he watched her. 

“I need air,” She couldn’t look at him, she walked out of their bedroom and into the kitchen. 

She grabbed her keys and the pack of cigarettes she had stashed on top of the fridge. She could hear him behind her but she kept heading towards the front door. 

“Madi, wait,” he put his hand on the front door to stop her from leaving, she turned around angry. 

“I just found out my husband fucked someone else last night, so sue me if I want some space,” she growled and he dropped his hand immediately. 

Madi walked out of their building and down to the park across the road. She sat down on one of the benches and lit up a cigarette, she needed to calm down. She needed to think. 

She didn’t know how long she had been out there but she was on her eighth cigarette. She got her phone out and called Rachel, seeing that it was almost 1 pm. 

“Hey, is everything okay?” Rachel answered immediately. 

“No, I hate to be a pain but could you take Anna for the night?” Madi sighed loudly as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Of course she can stay here,” Rachel answered immediately. “What’s going on?”

“Cole slept with Jade last night,” Madi whispered as she held back new tears. 

“What the fuck,” Rachel breathed out. 

“Yeah, I don’t want Anna at home tonight, especially if we’re arguing,” Madi let out a shaky breath. 

“I’ve got Anna, so don’t stress,” Rachel reassured quietly. 

“I’ll call later to check on Anna,” Madi sighed as she stood up slowly. “Thanks, Rach.”

“I’m here for you, Madi,” Rachel spoke quietly before she hung up. 

Madi walked back to the apartment slowly, she knew she needed to talk to Cole and figure out what they were going to do. They had Anna to think about, it wasn’t just them, they were parents. 

She found Cole sitting on the couch, crying into his hands. She sat in the lounge chair opposite the lounge and pulled her knees up to her chest. 

“I’m going to ask questions and I want answers,” Madi’s voice came out quiet but firm and he just nodded slowly. “Was last night the only time anything has happened with her?”

Cole took a deep breath and his leg bounced nervously. 

“No, we kissed three weeks ago,” his voice was shaky as he stared at the floor ashamed. “And a few times since then.”

It made sense now, he had started acting weird since the night she saw the message on his phone. 

“Has anything else sexually happened other than last night?” She could her voice start to shake but she needed to know the extent. 

“Yes,” he took a deep breath as he dropped his head. “We messed around a couple of times.”

Madi bit her lip as she stared at the coffee table, she couldn’t look at him. Her chest was aching painfully and she felt the facade of their happy marriage shattering even more. 

“Do you have feelings for her?” Her voice broke as she spoke quietly. 

There was a painful silence between them. It took him a long time to open his mouth to answer. 

“Yes,” he answered so quietly that she only just heard him. 

Her chest tightened and she felt like her world was starting to crash around her but she wanted more information. 

“What does she give you that I don’t?” She spoke quietly and started to dig her nails into her palms. 

“She understands the stress of Med school and she just seems to get me in a way that no one else does,” he put his face in his hands again. 

“When did you start having feelings for her?” She asked quickly not letting her feelings take over. 

“Three months ago,” he mumbled not taking his face out of his hands. 

“When you stopped having sex with me,” she thought out loud and rubbed her legs with her hands, they were sore from her nails digging into palms. “Have you talked to her about your future with her?”

“Yes,” he mumbled and finally lifted his head out of his hands. 

“Do you still love me?” Her voice was barely a whisper. 

“Of course I do, you know I do,” he finally looked at her with glassy eyes. 

“Do you love her?” She asked quickly and she needed to see his face when he gave his answer. 

“Yes,” he sounded ashamed but he kept watching his wife carefully. 

“The future you talked about with her, do you want it?” She watched his body language to watch if he was lying. 

“... Yes,” he sighed loudly and dipped his head. 

“I guess I have my answer then,” She mumbled and stood up slowly, she fiddled with her rings on her left hand before she pulled them off. “Please don’t follow me,” she put her rings on the coffee table before walking down the hall to their bedroom.

******************** 

Madi woke up with a deep frown plastered on her face, her dream haunted her. She found Cole asleep with his head on the side of her hospital bed. Cole still held her hand in his which brought her comfort despite her horrible dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Sorry for the delay!

Madi winced as the nurse jabbed her with another needle, this was supposed to make her stop throwing up but she didn’t hold her breath. She had forced Cole to go home, get some rest and have a shower two hours ago. Cole passed the nurse on her way out as he walked in.   
“Hey baby,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead and sat on the edge of the bed.   
“Hey,” she gave him a small smile as she leant back against the pillows.   
“Feeling any better?” he asked quietly as he put his hand on her bump.   
“A little, she’s moving around a lot,” she whispered and put her hand on top of his. “Nyko’s keeping in here for another three days. So my dad thinks you should go to the new apartment with him to unpack and set up.”   
“I don’t want to leave you, what if something happens?” He frowned worried as he watched her carefully.   
“Nyko said I’m going to be fine and this doesn’t affect her as long as I’m getting nutrients and hydration,” she spoke quietly as she squeezed his hand gently.   
“At least if I do it then you won’t have to worry about it,” He still looked worried as his thumb gently stroked her bump.   
“I’ll be fine, I promise,” she whispered and leant forward giving him a gentle kiss. “I love you.”   
“I love you too,” he kissed her again before placing a kiss on her bump gently. “And I love you very much.”   
Madi just smiled and ran her hand through his hair as he continued to talk to her bump.   
  
______________________________   
  
Madi stretched as she got out of Raven’s car, Raven had offered to drive her back to campus, so Cole could fix up his class registration and Madi’s as well. Raven had to come to the city anyway for work, so she was going to stay with them for the night. Madi sighed as they got the elevator to the tenth floor and went to her new apartment. She knocked on the door as Raven adjusted her bag on her shoulder.   
“Madi!” Rachel opened the door and barrelled Madi into a hug.   
“Rachel, you’re squishing the baby,” Madi laughed quietly as she started to pull away slightly.   
“You’ve gotten so big!” Rachel pulled back and looked at Madi’s bump.   
“Gee thanks,” Madi laughed and rolled her eyes.   
“It’s good to see you, Raven,” Rachel smiled and let them into the apartment.   
“You too,” Raven smiled and started to look around the apartment.   
“Is Cole back yet?” Madi asked quietly as she pulled her hair up into a bun.   
“He’s gone to pick up his textbooks,” Rachel explained as she sat on the couch.   
“Alright, I need to head to the office but I’ll see you later,” Rave kissed Madi’s cheek before heading out.   
“We met our neighbours, we had them over for dinner last night,” Rachel watched as Madi sat on the other end of the couch with a sigh. “There’s four in the apartment next door, they’re all pre-med. There’s Jade, Mike, Caleb and Alice.”   
Madi just hummed in response, a shiver went down her spine when she heard the name Jade.   
“I need to head over to campus, want to come?” Rachel asked happily, breaking Madi out of her thoughts.   
“I might just hang out here and settle in,” Madi mumble and rubbed her bump.   
“Okay, I’ll see you later,” Rachel grabbed her stuff and headed out quickly.   
  
\-------------------------------------   
  
Madi sat on the bed on her laptop, studying, getting ahead of her work before classes start on Monday. No one had come back to the apartment yet and it was starting to get late in the afternoon. Her focus was completely on her work that she didn’t even notice Cole coming into the room until he kissed her cheek.   
“Hey babe,” Cole whispered and gave her a gentle kiss.   
Madi deepened the kiss as she moved closer to him. He chuckled against her lips before he pulled away from the kiss slowly.   
“I see you missed me,” he chuckled as he sat back.   
“I have,” she smiled as she moved to straddle him and kiss him again.   
“Babe,” he moaned quietly against her lips. “You want to christen the new bed?” he asked between kisses.   
“Mhmm,” she hummed against his lips as she started to pull his shirt up.   
She felt him smirk against her lips before he pulled away to pull his shirt. He drew her into a hungry kiss as his hands searched her body. She moaned against his lips as she felt him grow hard against her. She was sensitive and everything felt heightened, she wanted this bad.   
The bedroom door suddenly burst open and Ethan came in with a hearty laugh, spreading himself out on the bed.   
“I caught you two fucking,” Ethan laughed and poked Madi’s side.   
“Fuck off,” Cole growled loudly.   
“Language there’s a baby in the room,” Ethan smirked as relaxed more on the bed.   
Madi felt tears start to sting her eyes, she didn’t know why she wanted to cry, damn hormones. She wiped her eyes and got off Cole.   
“Aww did I ruin the moment?” Ethan teased as he sat up.   
“You’re a fucking asshole,” Madi pushed Ethan before going into the bathroom.   
“Learn how to fucking knock,” Cole growled loudly.   
“Learn how to lock the door,” Ethan countered playfully.   
“The door doesn’t have a lock, so you need to knock asshole,” Cole muttered as he opened the bathroom door. “Are you okay babe?”   
“Yeah,” Madi sighed and wiped her eyes.   
Cole immediately pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. Madi pulled away slowly but Cole kept his arm around her.   
“Why are you crying?” Ethan asked as he watched her with a raised eyebrow.   
“I don’t know,” Madi half groaned as she wiped her eyes. “I’m pregnant, growing a human is hard. What did you burst in here for?”   
“Jade and Mike invited us out for dinner,” Ethan smiled as he ran his hand through his hair.   
“Where to?” Cole raised his eyebrow as he pulled Madi closer to him.   
“You guys go, I’m going to hang out with Raven,” she sighed quietly as she rubbed her bump.   
“I’ll stay back with you,” Cole whispered and kissed the top of her head.   
“You don’t have to,” she looked up at him slowly.   
“I want to,” Cole gave her a gentle kiss.   
“You guys are boring,” Ethan rolled his eyes as he got off their bed. “You better be coming to the Alpha party tomorrow night.”   
“He is,” She assured quietly as she stretched.   
“You’re coming too,” Cole kissed her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.   
“I’m almost 5 months pregnant, I’m not going to a party,” Madi laughed and shook her head. “I’m going to hang out in my studio while you guys party for me.”   
“Are you sure?” Cole asked quietly.   
“Positive,” she smiled at him and kissed him gently.   
“I’ll make sure he gets shit faced,” Ethan assured with a wide smile.   
“Good,” she smiled slowly before narrowing her eyes at Ethan slightly. “Alright, out.”   
“You can’t have sex, there’s a baby in the room,” Ethan crossed his arms with a shit-eating grin.   
“Ethan,” Madi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes again.   
“Okay, I’m going,” Ethan chuckled and started to walk out of the room.   
Just as Ethan stepped out of the room, Rachel walked in with a grin from ear to ear.   
“Do you two have a plan to cockblock us permanently?” Madi sighed and rubbed her forehead which made Rachel laugh.   
“Yes,” Rachel laughed, shaking her head.   
“I’m installing a lock,” Madi grumbled which just made Rachel laugh more.   
“Jade and Mike are here,” Rachel relaxed against Ethan as he returned to wrap his arm around Rachel’s waist. “They wanted to come over and meet Madi.”   
“Okay, we’ll be out in a minute,” Madi assured and the other couple closed the door on the way out.   
“I’m sorry babe,” Cole whispered and kissed her gently.   
“I know how our friends are,” Madi sighed quietly and pulled away from him slowly. “All I want to do is tear off your clothes but I suppose I’ll be sociable and meet your new friends. Let me just change into something where my boobs won’t out.”   
“They are getting big,” He commented checking her out with a smirk.   
“They’re going to get bigger the fatter I get,” She mumbled as she opened their wardrobe to pick something else to wear.   
She pulled off her dress and tossed it into the hamper. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rubbed her bump.   
“You’re not fat and you’re not going to get fat, you’re growing our little girl,” He whispered and kissed her shoulder.   
“She moving,” she whispered before she grabbed one of Cole’s shirts. “I’m stealing this.”   
“Looks better on you anyway,” he chuckled and unwrapped himself from her before grabbing his shirt from the bed. “I can’t wait to feel her kick.”   
“It’ll be a little while yet,” she put on a pair of shorts and Cole’s shirt.   
She barely looked pregnant from how loose the shirt was, she pulled her hair up into a bun as Cole opened the door. They walked down the hall to find a slim red-haired girl and a muscular blonde man sitting on the couch talking to Rachel and Ethan.   
“Mike, Jade this is my girlfriend Madi,” Cole smiled as he sat on the couch with Madi.   
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jade smiled brightly while Mike gave her an awkward wave. “Are you pre-med too?”   
“Art history,” Madi spoke quietly as she fidgeted uncomfortably.   
“Arts major, huh,” Jade seemed to be a little taken back by Madi’s response.   
“Are we going to dinner or what?” Mike spoke up with a smile, breaking the awkward tension.   
“Actually, we’re going to hang back, it’s Madi’s first night here,” Vole spoke up and put his arm around her shoulder’s.   
“Come on, you’re going to love the place we’re going to,” Mike sat forward in his seat. “Come on.”   
“Just come with us,” Ethan urged and Madi could tell that Cole wanted to go but Madi was feeling up to socialising.   
“Go, I’ll go and drop the new supplies to my studio before Raven gets back,” Madi reassured as she watched Cole carefully.   
“You sure?” Cole asked quietly.   
“Yeah go, I don’t feel up to it,” Madi whispered.   
“Well, let's go now,” Jade announced happily and stood up with Mike.   
Cole gave Madi a gentle kiss before he stood up slowly. Madi appreciated the fact that Cole understood that she didn’t feel like socialising. She didn’t want to hold Cole back from having fun besides she could take advantage of some time alone before Raven got back.   
“Want me to hang back with you?” Rachel asked quietly, a hint of guilt in her voice.   
“No, it’s all good,” Madi reassured before hugging her friend. “I’m going to fix up my studio, it’s a bit of a mess.”   
“Call me if you need anything,” Cole gave her a deeper kiss before he was ushered out by his friends.   
  
_____________________   
  
Madi sighed quietly as she got out of her car at the parking lot where her studio was. She had changed again into a paint-stained tank top because she didn’t want to ruin Cole’s shirt. She needed to sort her supplies again and clean up the place before she could work on any paintings. She opened the boot to her car and grabbed the bag of cleaning supplies. From the corner of her eye, she could see an eerie figure approaching her and a shiver went down her spine immediately.   
She turned her head to see a figure that made terror fill her to the core. Her chest tightened as the figure got closer.   
‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ Zane signed as his lips curled into a sneer as he got closer to her.   
Madi stumbled back terrified before she turned to try and get into her car. Zane grabbed Madi by her hair and slammed her back into the car. His eyes travelled down her stomach and a smirk started to form on his lips.   
‘My baby,’ he smirked as he used his free hand to put his hand against her bump.   
‘It’s not yours,’ Madi signed with a growl and pushed him away from her.   
‘Has to be, you’re too far along for it to not be,’ He grinned triumphantly as he got closer to her, trapping her between the car and his body. ‘I guess I’ll be seeing you in court, I’m taking my baby.’   
Madi saw red and kneed Zane in the crotch as hard as she could. She was not going to let this monster anywhere near her baby girl. Zane fell back onto the ground holding his crotch as he groaned.   
Madi took this chance and got into her car, she flew out of the parking lot as fast as she could. Terrified tears streamed down her face and she called Raven, refusing to stop driving.   
“Hey Madz, what’s up?” Raven answered in a cheery voice.   
“He was at my studio,” Madi sobbed frantically and she travelled down the road.   
“Who Madz?” Raven’s voice grew concerned.   
“Zane,” Madi sobbed loudly.   
“Go back to your apartment now and lock the door, I’m coming,” Raven spoke calmly before hanging up.   
  
____________________   
  
Madi sat on the couch curled up into Raven’s side sobbing as Cole angrily paced the length of the lounge room. When she had gotten back to the apartment, Cole was already waiting there for her and Raven arrived not long after him.   
“He’s going to try and take her away,” Madi sobbed as Raven rubbed her back gently.   
“Baby,” Cole stopped pacing and knelt in front of Madi, putting his hands on either side of her face. “He’s not going to get anywhere near her, I promise.”   
Madi was sobbing uncontrollably, so much so that she felt her stomach churn. She pushed Cole’s arms away and ran to the bathroom immediately throwing up everything in her stomach. She wiped her mouth and brushed her teeth before dragging herself out to the lounge room again.   
“I’m going to kill him,” Cole growled as he pulled Madi close to his chest.   
“No, you won’t, I’ll deal with it,” Raven spoke in an eerily calm voice.   
“Birdie,” Madi frowned deeply.   
“I’m dealing with this,” Raven got up and kissed Madi’s forehead gently. “Just go lay down,” she whispered. “He’s not going to get near any of you ever again, I promise.”   
“Come on baby,” Cole whispered and helped her to the bedroom. “I’ve got you.”   
Cole got into bed with Madi and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head gently. Madi buried her head into his chest and squeezed her eyes shut. It didn’t take long for her to drift off, the stress exhausting her.   
  
***********   
  
Madi sighed quietly as she laid in bed with Anna at her parents’ house. The toddler was cuddled into her side fast asleep, it was well past midnight yet sleep evaded Madi. She pressed a kiss to the top of Anna’s head and rubbed her back gently. Her thumb automatically went to play with her wedding rings that were no longer there. She had been at her parents’ house for almost a week now, she needed a break before she had to find a new apartment close to Cole so he was still there for Anna.   
Madi could hear her phone vibrating on the bedside table, she carefully untangled her arms from around Anna and slipped out of the bed. She grabbed her phone and quietly padded out of the room.   
“Hello?” She answered in a hushed whisper as she went downstairs.   
“Madi, you need to come home,” Cole’s voice was full of anger and hurt.   
“No, I’m not coming home,” Madi sighed and ran her hand through her hair.   
“I want to see my daughter,” his voice grew angrier. “I’m coming down.”   
“My Mom will drop Anna to your parents’ place tomorrow,” Madi paced the length of the loungeroom with a quiet sigh.   
“Why is your mom dropping her off?” confusion filled his voice as his anger started to dissipate.   
“I don’t want to see you,” She spoke simply as she continued to pace.   
“Why?” He asked automatically.   
“Where do I start Cole? The affair? The fact that you lied to me? The fact that you were so caught up in yourself that you didn’t see how hard I was working to make sure our family had everything it needed,” She snapped frustrated. “I have put myself last for so long, you never noticed all of the shit I do.”   
“All the shit you do?” he scoffed loudly. “Staying at home with Anna?”   
“Cooking, cleaning, looking after our daughter, working to make sure we had enough money and you could focus on studying,” she growled frustratedly. “Screw you, Cole, I have done everything to make sure you could focus on studying and finish med school.”   
“I’m studying to make sure our daughter can have a future!” He snapped loudly.   
“Why do you think I was supporting you? Why do you think I was working and looking after Anna so you could concentrate on studying?” She snapped frustrated as she paced more furiously.   
“I don’t get why you are so pissed off,” he growled.   
“Are you serious? You slept with someone else, you cheated on me,” She scoffed and ran her hand through her hair.   
“It was a mistake, Madi,” he growled loudly.   
“You just don’t get it,” a sob escaped her lips as her tears started to spill. “You’ve hurt me and you don’t care. You can pick up Anna at your parents’ place tomorrow.”   
Madi hung up and wiped her tears away, she was hurt, she felt like her life had been flipped upside down.   
“Madi? Are you okay?” Clarke came down the stairs, rubbing her face with a yawn.   
“Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Madi wiped her eyes again.   
“What’s going on between you and Cole?” Clarke asked quietly as she got to the bottom of the stairs.   
“Cole cheated on me with his study partner, they’ve been messing around for a couple of months now,” Madi sighed and leant against the back of the couch.   
“Oh Madi,” Clarke pulled her daughter into a tight hug and let Madi cry into her chest.   
After a couple of moments, Madi pulled away wiping her eyes again and crossed her arms.   
“Can you drop Anna to Cole’s parents tomorrow?” Madi asked quietly running her hand through her hair.   
“Of course,” Clarke gave her daughter a tight sad smile and brushed Madi’s hair behind her ear.   
The sound of Anna crying upstairs made Madi rush upstairs to find the toddler sitting up in bed sobbing. Madi pulled the little girl into her arms kissing her head gently.   
  
*********   
Madi’s body jolted up as she gasped for air and tried to steady her breathing as Anxiety pulsed through her. Cole immediately sat up and rubbed her back gently.   
“You’re okay, it was just a dream,” Cole whispered as he pulled her into his arms.   
Madi was still trying to calm herself down but her anxiety was still pulsing through her body. After a few minutes, Madi’s anxiety finally started to calm down. She knew she needed to talk to Cole about it, about what they needed to do if they broke up especially now they had their baby to think about.   
“Cole,” she whispered as he pushed her hair behind her ear.   
“Yeah, baby?” He gave her a small smile but she knew he wasn’t going to be happy when she brought this up.   
“We need to agree on what we’re going to do if we break up,” she watched his face twist into an angry scowl.   
“Well that’s not going to happen,” he sat back and crossed his arms.   
“Cole, if it does we need to make sure we do right by her,” She sighed and rubbed her bump.   
“It’s not going to happen so we don’t have to worry about that,” He kicked off the blankets and got out of bed.   
“I’m not saying it’s going to happen, it would just make me feel better if we agreed on some things just in case,” she watched him carefully as he started to pace the length of their bedroom.   
“Why? So you know your outs plan?” he glared at her as he paced faster.   
“That’s not it,” she shook her head and looked down. “Not fighting in front of her, co-parenting, putting her first and not using her as a pawn if things get ugly,” tears freely poured from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. “I just want us to agree on these things now so in case things do happen, we do what’s right for her.”   
“Madi,” his voice softened as he stopped pacing and sat on the bed. “She comes first no matter what,” he wiped her eyes gently.   
“I didn’t mean to upset you, I just needed to know that we’ll make sure if things do happen we don’t expose her to it,” her voice came out in a quiet sob and he pulled her into her arms immediately.   
“Does this have something to do with your nightmare?” He asked quietly as he kissed her head.   
“We broke up and it was messy, she was three years old,” she mumbled as she laid back down with him.   
“If it does happen, we’ll focus on her and make it as easy as possible,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.   
“I love you, Cole,” she looked up and kissed him gently.   
“I love you too,” he pulled her even closer and put his hand on her bump. “Go back to sleep baby, you both need it,” he mumbled with a yawn.   
  
_________________   
  
By the time Monday morning rolled around and Madi wasn’t ready for her classes. Cole was busier with classes then he was last year. While Madi had more theory classes then she had last year. Both Cole and Rachel seemed flustered that morning, rushing around to get everything they needed for their day of classes. Madi, on the other hand, had a four-hour class then a mandated study group an hour after her class ended.   
Madi sighed as she sat down in the coffee shop with Ethan, their classes didn’t start for another hour. The smell of coffee was torturing her all she wanted was a cup of coffee but instead she settled for fresh orange juice.   
“I’ll come grab you after your class,” Ethan palmed his mug of coffee as he watched her.   
“You don’t need to babysit me,” Madi mumbled as she picked at her pastry.   
“Your psycho ex is still here, there’s no way I’m going to let him hurt you or my niece,” Ethan spoke firmly as he watched her carefully.   
Madi just hummed and rubbed her bump, there was no point in arguing. She could feel the baby moving like butterflies in her stomach, the baby had been moving for most of the morning.   
A loud crash outside the café made the both of them stare out the window. The sound of twisting metal screeched through the air as auditable gasps echoed through the café. There was a puff of smoke and flames coming from the big oak tree across the road from the café.   
Madi stared at the mangled wreck across the street, her eyes grew wide when she noticed the license plate connected to the mangled mess of metal.   
“That’s Zane’s bike,” she mumbled quietly as she continued to stare.   
There was a figure splayed across the ground near the stump of the tree. Madi lost sight of the scene as people started to crowd around the scene, trying to get help.   
“Madz, let me take you back to the apartment,” Ethan put his hand on Madi’s arm but she continued to stare.   
“Do you think he’s dead?” she whispered, her hands stayed firmly on her bump.   
“Here’s hoping,” Ethan muttered. “Come on, let’s head home.”   
Madi finally looked away and nodded slowly. She slowly got up and followed Ethan out of the café slowly. She turned her head back to see someone trying in vain to perform CPR on Zane’s lifeless body. She wondered if that’s what if looked like when Cole had to do CPR on her a couple of months ago.   
A weight seemed to lift off her shoulders when she heard the person performing CPR curse faintly. She turned back slowly and walked away with Ethan. Karma.   
  
_________________   
  
Madi sat cross-legged on the couch as she ate ice cream, watching the news waiting for Cole to get home from getting takeout. While Rachel and Ethan were busy in the bedroom. The news bulletin had announced that the crash Zane was in was fatal and honestly, it was the best news Madi could’ve heard. Her baby was safe and Zane couldn’t get near her anymore. A loud knock on the door made Madi groan as she got up and put her ice cream down. She opened the door and frowned deeply when she found a woman in front of her that was a little older than her and looked eerily similar.   
‘Madi?’ The woman signed as Madi’s frown grew deeper.   
‘Yes?’ Madi stared at the woman confused.   
‘You’re my brother Zane’s girlfriend,’ The woman’s eyes started to fill with tears as Madi felt her eyes go wide.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think  
Stay safe x


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I'm sorry for the delay but here is the new chapter!

Madi frowned deeply as she stared at Zane’s sister, this woman was in tears and suddenly hugged her. Madi awkwardly stood there before pulling away slowly, her frown growing even deeper.

‘I’m not your brother’s girlfriend, we broke up before summer even started,’ Madi put her hand over her bump protectively as soon as she finished signing. 

‘But he said you two were happy and the baby, he spent the whole summer with you and your family,’ the woman signed through teary eyes as Madi stepped back even further.

‘The baby isn’t his, I broke up with your brother because he was cheating on me, he got arrested for attacking me, he put me in hospital,’ Madi frowned deeply as she watched the woman’s face fall.

‘Not again,’ The woman frowned deeply and wiped her eyes.

‘Not again? He had done this before?’ Madi crossed her arms uncomfortably.

‘Kind of,’ the woman watched Madi carefully.

‘I think you should go,’ Madi ushered the woman back and closed the door quickly before the woman could respond.

Madi sat back on the couch with a sigh, she just wanted Cole to come home, this was just too weird and uncomfortable. She craved comfort and intimacy desperately. Madi curled up on the couch as she stared at the tv, there were still talking about Zane.

“Babe? I’m home!” Cole’s voice called out as he came through the door.

“Hey,” Madi spoke quietly as she sat up and stretched.

“I got you animal fries and a salted caramel shake,” Cole came over to her with a wide smile as he leant down and kissed her slowly.

“You’re going to make me fat,” she giggled and kissed him again. “Thank you.”

“I got to feed my girls,” he smiled and sat down as he started to get their food out.

They started to eat quietly as they watched a movie when they finished eating, Cole pulled Madi’s feet into his lap and started to rub her feet. Madi couldn’t have been more thankful, her feet were swollen and sore. Guilt started to fill her about the dreams she was having. Cole was amazing and she was lucky to have him but yet she was still having these dreams.

“Do you remember that dream I had the other night?” Madi pulled her feet away from him and sat cross-legged.

“Yeah? What’s bothering you about them?” Cole paused the movie and turned his attention to her.

“The reason I wanted up to agree on putting her first if we broke up is because that’s what the dream was about,” She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “In the dream, you cheated on me with a girl named Jade and it got really messy. I’m not saying you would do that you would, I trust you,” she felt tears sting her eyes as she looked down, she knew her words were going to hurt him. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t trust you.”

There was a long silence between them and she sniffled quietly, he gently lifted her chin and gently wiped away her tears.

“It was a dream, thank you for telling me what you were worried about,” he spoke quietly as he wiped her tears away. “Thank you for being honest.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she closed her eyes. “I love you.”

“Don’t be sorry, babe,” he stroked her cheek gently, making her open her eyes. “I love you too,” he drew her into a deep kiss, pulling her into his lap.

Madi gave into the kiss and straddles his laps slowly as his hands pulled her closer to him.

“No fucking in the lounge room!” Mike called out as he burst into the apartment making Madi jump startled and Cole had to hold onto her to stop her from falling back.

Mike and Jade came into the apartment followed by another couple, Madi sighed and she got off Cole. She straightened her tank top over her bump and rank her hand over it slowly.

“Caleb, Alice, this is Cole’s girlfriend, Mandi,” Mike explained as he opened the beer he brought in with him.

“It’s Madi, dickhead,” Jade rolled her eyes at Mike.

“Some deaf kid ran his bike into a tree so they’ve cancelled classes for the week, so let’s get wasted,” Mike grinned as he plopped down on the couch.

“Here Madi, have a beer,” Jade smiled and went to hand Madi a bottle of beer.

“No thank you,” Madi shook her head as she gestured down to her pump.

“Holy shit,” Jade mumbled suddenly realising Madi was pregnant. “Designated driver I suppose,” she mumbled and opened a beer.

“There’s a party at across town,” Mike grinned widely as Ethan and Rachel finally emerged from their room.

“We’re down,” Rachel smiled happily as she got a beer off Jade.

“We’re going to stay back,” Cole spoke up as he got up and rubbed Madi’s bump gently. “We’re going to have a movie night, go ahead without us.”

“You’re no fun,” Jade stuck her tongue out at Cole causing Mike to chuckle loudly.

“They just want to bone in peace,” Ethan teased and poked Madi’s side.

“You have a fetish for interrupting us, can’t blame us for wanting some peace,” Madi rolled her eyes and jabbed Ethan back.

“It’s fun interrupting you guys,” Ethan wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk.

“It’s not like I can get any more pregnant,” Madi smirked as she leant back against Cole’s chest.

“Alright let’s go and let these two bone,” Rachel gave Madi a wink as she started to hustle everyone out of the apartment.

Madi mouth a ‘thank you’ to Rachel as she closed the door after ushering everyone out the door. Madi felt Cole push her hair off her neck and kiss her neck slowly. Madi couldn’t help the moan from escaping her lips as she felt his hands start to slip under her shirt. This had been building up, Ethan or her morning sickness had interrupted them ever since she arrived at the apartment four days ago.

“Bedroom now,” she moaned causing him to chuckle against her neck. “I don’t want to be interrupted again.”

“Let’s go to the bedroom then,” Cole chuckled as he scooped her up and whisked her away to the bedroom quickly.

Cole laid her down on the bed as he kissed her, she moaned against his lips as she started to pull off his shirt. Their clothes were pulled off quickly and they worked to find the right position around her growing belly. Madi ended up on top and she slowly lowered herself down onto him with a loud moan.

“Fuck,” Cole moaned loudly as he threw his head back slowly.

Madi whimpered as she slowly started to move against him and his hands gripped her hips. She put her hands on his chest to steady herself as she picked up her pace, her whimpers turning into louder moans as the pleasure started to pulse through her.

“Cole,” Madi moaned loudly as she bit her lip and rolled her hips more.

“Oh, Cole!” Mike’s voice mimicked Madi’s voice through the door.

“Fuck off!” Cole growled loudly as he held Madi hips still.

“Fuck Cole!” Jade’s voice mimicked Madi’s through the door with a quiet giggle.

Embarrassment filled Madi and she felt exposed, she got off Cole slowly grabbed her robe from the end of her bed, putting it on slowly.

“Mmm faster Cole!” Mike mimicked with a fake moan.

Madi could see the anger pulsing through Cole as he got up and put his shorts on. Cole slammed opened the door and glared at the couple mocking them.

“Get the fuck out!” Cole growled through his teeth as his eyes bore holes into them.

“Chill dude, it’s just a joke,” Mike laughed loudly but the anger was still pulsing through Cole.

“Out!” Cole growled louder.

“Fuck dude, chill,” Mike raised his hands defensively as he stood back. “Come have a drink with us and relax.”

“I already said no, get out,” Cole ushered them down the hall. “I don’t want to go out.”

“Come on man,” Mike sighed loudly but the front door slammed and the lock snapped shut.

Cole grumbled to himself as he walked back to the bedroom, Madi was dressed again by the time Cole got back to the room.

“Babe,” Cole sighed quietly as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry,” his voice softened as he kissed the top of her head.

“It’s not your fault,” Madi sighed quietly as she pulled away from the hug slowly.

“Want to get out of the house for a bit?” he asked quietly as he brushed her hair out of her face. 

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly and let him kiss her slowly.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Madi crawled into bed after she got out of the shower, Cole was already in bed scrolling through his phone. Madi crawled over to him and kissed him slowly as moved to straddle him slowly. She wanted to try and make up for their failed attempt earlier but Cole pulled back from the kiss.

“Not tonight babe,” he sighed quietly as he moved her off him and pulled her into his arms instead.

“Sorry,” she mumbled quietly and pulled the blanket up over them.

“I’m sorry, I’m just not in the mood,” he whispered and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“It’s okay,” she whispered as he put his phone on the bedside table.

Cole untangled his arms from her and she moved back sensing he didn’t want to be touched. He turned off the lamp and turned his back to her with a sigh. If tonight hadn’t made her feel like shit enough now she felt worse.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Madi woke up the next morning in a bad mood, she was pent up and annoyed. She was thankful when Rachel whisked her out of the apartment for a girls day. Madi needed it, the last couple of days had been a lot, she felt like they hadn’t been able to just enjoy being in their new apartment because Mike and Jade always came over.

Madi sighed quietly as they walked through Victoria Secret, Rachel had dragged her into here.

“Aren’t you going to look at anything?” Rachel raised her eyebrow slowly as she looked through the lingerie sets.

“I’m pregnant what’s the point to get anything until after she’s born, if Cole still wants to sleep with me by then,” Madi sighed loudly and rubbed her bump. “I’m surprised he still wants to attempt to sleep together now.”

“Why would you say that? You look amazing pregnant and your boobs are on point,” Rachel frowned and walked over to her friend slowly.

“All I do is eat and throw up, it’s doesn’t exactly scream sex appeal,” Madi looked down and ran her hand through her hair. “Plus everything is getting pudgy.”

“At least get a bra and panties set, it might make you feel better,” Rachel coached Madi over to a table of panties. “We’ll get you a set and I’ll make sure you two have the place to yourselves tonight.”

“Being hormonal sucks,” Madi sighed as she started to look at the panties.

“You just need to get laid and you’ll feel better,” Rachel spoke quietly as she started to pick out a couple of pairs of panties. “You and Cole are going to have a good uninterrupted night and both of you are going to feel better.”

“Yeah,” Madi nodded slowly and picked out a pair of panties.

“We should get you the matching bra, you can try it on and send a picture to Cole,” Rachel wiggled her eyebrows at Madi with a quiet giggle.

It took a little more convincing for Madi to actually take the photo in the bra and panties, Rachel was right it gave her a confidence boost. She sent it to Cole after she bought them and they started to make their way to Lunch. Madi hoped to get some sort of a reply from him but she didn’t, she just saw the indication that he had seen it.

“Still no reply?” Rachel asked quietly as they walked out of the café after lunch.

“No,” Madi shook her head and dipped her head as they made their way back to the car. “Maybe I shouldn’t have sent it.”

Madi sighed as she got into the passenger seat, she took her phone out and stared at the little read symbol below the picture she sent. The sound of her phone ringing made her jump slightly and Cole’s name started to flash on the screen.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have sent that,” Madi spoke immediately as soon as she answered the phone.

“Get home now,” there was urgency in Cole’s voice, like embers starting to ignite again.

“What?” Madi frowned slightly, a little confused as Rachel watched her with a smirk.

“I rushed to finish all of my readings, now I need you home right this second,” He was flustered slightly but very firm with his words.

“I’m on my way home,” Madi whispered, the feeling of excitement pulsing through her.

“Good,” He spoke in a husky voice before hanging up.

“Alright, let's get you home and laid,” Rachel laughed as she started to drive out of the parking lot.

\---------------------------------------------------

As soon as Madi and Rachel walked into the apartment, Cole grabbed Madi, throwing her over his shoulder. Madi giggled loudly as Cole slapped her ass, carrying her to the bedroom.

“Ethan, if you interrupt us, I will beat the shit out of you!” Cole shouted as he slammed the door to their bedroom open.

Madi giggled as Cole threw her onto the bed and kicked the door shut. Cole immediately crawled on top of her and kissed her with a burning passion. Madi moaned against his lips as their clothes found the floor in record time. Cole got off the bed and pulled Madi down so her ass was on the edge of the bed. Cole dropped to his knees and kissed up her inner thigh causing a quiet whimper to leave her lips. He carefully positioned her legs over his shoulders before he slowly licked up her slit causing a pulse of pleasure to rapidly pulsate through her body. He took her clit into his mouth and sucked gently.

“Fuck,” Madi groaned and arched her back, the sound of muffled voices broke through their pleasure bubble.

“Ethan, get the fuck away from there!” Rachel’s voice hissed through the door.

“I’m just fucking with them,” Ethan hissed back.

“If you interrupt them you can forget about getting anything from me,” Rachel growled loudly and they could hear footsteps going away from the door.

Cole made the thought of their friends disappear from her mind when he sucked a little harder on her clit. Madi was a goner, her orgasm pulsed through her body and she couldn’t stop the quiet cry from leaving her lips. Cole stayed in place lapping up the pleasure he had just given her.

When she started to come down, he stood up slowly, wiping his mouth slowly with a devilish smirk. He ran his hands up her body and cupped her breasts squeezing them gently as he pushed inside her slowly. He bit his lip with a quiet moan as he pushed into her further.

Madi let out a louder moaned as she threw her head back, her fingers curling up into the blanket of their bed. He moved his hands from her breasts to her hips, gripping them tightly as he picked up his pace.

“Fuck baby,” Cole moaned as he leant forward taking her nipple into his mouth, biting down on it hard enough to making her cry out.

He moaned satisfied against her nipple as she bit her lip as she felt herself start to tip her over the edge. He gripped her hips roughly as he started to thrust into her harder, his fingers digging into her hips harder to keep them in place.

“Cole,” She whimpered causing him to bite down on her nipple even harder than before.

She was gone. She cried out and tightened around him as her orgasm pulsed through her rapidly. Her back arched as her skin tingled and her head spun. Cole growled loudly as he came undone insider her with powerful thrusts.

“Fuck,” Cole groaned as he rolled off her, laying next to her on the bed, his chest heaving in time with hers. “I needed that,” he rolled onto his side and drew her into a long kiss.

“Me too,” she whispered through her laboured breathing.

After a few minutes, Cole pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. Madi winced quietly and covered her sore nipple with her hand.

“I’m sorry baby,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

“They’re just sensitive,” she mumbled as she snuggled into his side.

A knock at the door made Cole groan loudly as he sat up, untangling himself from Madi.

“What?” he growled as he ran his hand down his face.

“You guys are going to want to come out, Zane’s family are here,” Ethan’s voice was nervous and Madi immediately sat up.

“What the fuck are 

they doing here?” Cole growled as got up and started to get dressed.

“They think I was still dating him,” Madi groaned as she pulled her clothes on quickly.

“How do you know?” Cole frowned deeply as he pulled his shirt on.

“His sister turned up here yesterday while you were getting dinner,” Madi sighed as she pulled her hair up into a bun.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Cole crossed his arms slowly as he watched Madi.

“I was still trying to process it, yesterday was a lot,” she sighed and crossed her arms uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”

“Just tell me next time,” he whispered and kissed the side of her head before they walked out of the bedroom.

They walked into the lounge room to find Zane’s sister and an older couple Madi assumed was Zane’s parents. Madi knew they were all deaf so she was going to be alone in this conversation. Cole’s sign language was good but not at the level it needed to be for a conversation this intense.

‘Madi? What you said about Zane yesterday couldn’t be true,’ Zane’s sister signed quickly.

‘You said it yourself, this wasn’t the first time,’ Madi frowned as she signed.

‘The baby is his, it’s our family,’ The man signed as he glared at Madi.

‘It’s not his, we broke up before I got pregnant,’ Madi felt anxiety growing in her chest, Cole must’ve sensed this and put his hand on her back, rubbing gently.

‘It has to be his, he told us as soon as the two of you found out,’ The older woman frowned deeply as she watched Madi carefully.

‘He wasn’t there because it’s not his baby,’ Madi frowned deeply. ‘Zane attacked me after I broke up with him because I caught him cheating before summer even started.’

‘He spent the entire summer with you and your family,’ Zane’s father frowned deeply as his glare intensified. ‘Why are you lying about our son?’

‘Lying?’ Madi scoffed and shook her head. ‘Check your son’s criminal record, he was arrested for attacking me.’

‘I want a DNA test, you’re lying,’ Zane’s father’s lips curled into a snarl.

‘Get out of my house,’ Anger was building up in Madi as she glared at the family in front of her. ‘Get out of my house now.’

‘Call the lawyer,’ the man signed at his wife before glaring at Madi again.

Cole disappeared into the bedroom before coming back with the police reports from the summer, he shoved them into the father’s chest.

‘Read this, he lied to you,’ Cole signed slowly but deliberately. ‘Get out of this house now.’

Cole stared down Zane’s father until he walked out with a huff, followed by his wife but Zane’s sister stayed back and walked over to Madi.

‘Please, Madi, this baby is a part of our family, the last part we have of my brother,’ Zane’s sister begged.

‘Your brother is not the father, your brother beat me up, stalked me and almost killed me,’ Madi frowned deeply. ‘You know he had done this before, please just leave me alone.’

Zane’s sister frowned and walked out of the door. Cole slammed the door shut and snapped the lock shut.

“Why can’t we just have a normal day,” Madi groaned and plopped down on the couch. “Please don’t be a drama queen when you’re born little girl,” she spoke down to her bump as Cole plopped down next to Madi.

“She won’t be,” Cole kissed Madi head and rubbed her bump.

Madi frown when her phone when off with a message, she grabbed it from her bag on the coffee table. It was from an unknown number.

_ Unknown 4:35 pm: Madi, it’s Angela, Zane’s sister, I got your number from his phone. You were right, I know how my brother was. I’ll deal with my parents. _

“It’s Zane’s sister, she’s saying she’ll deal with her parents,” Madi mumbled as she stared at the message.

“Maybe she knew how Zane was,” Rachel mumbled as she sat on the arm of the armchair Ethan was sitting on.

_ Unknown 4:37 pm: Please just be honest with me when I ask this, is Zane the father of the baby? _

_ Madi 4:38 pm: The baby isn’t Zane’s. _

Madi sighed and leant against Cole more as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“lets order in and have an unholy trinity plus Rachel night in,” Ethan smiled as he pulled Rachel into his lap.

“It’s about to time we have a night with just us four and a half,” Rachel laughed and kissed Ethan.

“It’s Four and three-eighths,” Cole corrected with a chuckle.

“Alright pregareno, what are we eating?” Ethan smirked as he watched Madi.

“Pregareno? Really?” Madi rolled her eyes slowly and got up. “I’m down for anything, I’m getting changed into my PJs.”

“Good idea,” Cole spoke up as he got up. “I need a shower, just order whatever, just make sure it’s okay for Madi to eat.”

“I’ve got you,” Rachel smiled as she watched Madi and Cole as they started to make their way to their bedroom.

Madi stripped off her shirt and bra immediately, her breast were red and her nipple was purple. She rubbed her breasts slowly with a quiet wince before she slipped off her shorts to reveal the red marks on her hips, clear signs of bruises starting to form.

“I’m sorry baby,” Cole whispered and kissed her bare shoulder.

“It’s okay, we need to be a bit more gentle just in case,” she whispered and rubbed her bump.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again, concern filled his voice.

Madi turned around and got up on her toes, kissing him slowly as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“It’s okay and I’m okay, I’m just saying that we need to be careful just in case,” she pulled back and watched him rub her bump slowly.

“That photo just drove me crazy,” he whispered and kissed her slowly. “I was studying in the library and I rushed to finish everything, so I could come home and have my way with you.”

Cole picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her into the bathroom. He turned the water on in the shower and pressed Madi against the wall as they made out shamelessly. Madi giggled against his lips as she hooked her legs around his waist.

\---------------------------------- 

When Madi hit 20 weeks, she felt huge, She had to buy a whole bunch of new clothes to fit her growing bump. They were officially three weeks into the semester and they were slowly starting to get into a routine. Cole had classes most days and then studied a lot afterwards in the library. Madi got into the habit of studying with Cole at the library most days but when she was finished she’d head to her studio knowing Cole would study until at least 6 pm. He made a point of coming home for dinner every night even if he was planning on studying more.

Madi sighed as she stared at the contents on the fridge trying to figure out what she was going to do for dinner. She was the only one home because Cole and Rachel had papers to work on at the library and Ethan was at the frat house. Madi slammed the fridge shut with a groan and rubbed her bump.

“Little girl, can you please decide what you want?” Madi spoke down to her stomach.

A gasp left her lips when she felt a jab in her stomach and then another one, she could feel the movement against her hand.

“Hello there,” Madi giggled quietly as she rubbed her bump. “Your daddy is going to be so excited when he gets home.”

Madi smiled as she leant back against the bench as she continued to rub her bump.

“What do you think little girl? Should we go surprise daddy and Aunty Rachel with dinner?” she spoke down to bump again and waited until she got a kick again. “Alright, let’s go get them dinner.”

Madi picked up Chinese take out and texted Rachel and Cole to meet her at the tables outside near the library. Madi set up their food at the table and waited for them to come out. Nights were starting to get cooler but it was nice to sit outside. Madi hoped that the baby would kick for Cole when he came out for dinner.

“Hey baby,” Cole smirked as he leant down and kissed her slowly.

“Hey,” Madi smiled and kissed him slowly as Rachel plopped down on the other side of the table.

“You are a lifesaver,” Rachel sighed as she immediately started to eat.

“How are my girls today?” Cole smiled brightly as he sat down next to her.

“We’re great,” Madi beamed as she reached for his hand pressing it against her bump.

It only took a few moments for the baby to kick and Cole’s eyes to go wide as he stared at her.

“No way,” Cole breathed out and moved to put his other hand on her bump. “That’s incredible,” he chuckled and kissed Madi gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Madi grinned and put her hands on top of his. “Eat, I know you two need to get back to your papers.”

“I wouldn’t wait up, this paper is a bitch,” Rachel groaned as she banged her head on the table.

“Tell me about it,” Jade groaned as she sat next to Rachel with her food. “Can I ask you a question Madi?”

“Sure,” Madi hummed as she got her box of food.

“How did you end up pregnant?” Jade asked as she watched Madi with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re a pre-med student and you don’t know how you get pregnant?” Madi laughed quietly as she picked at her food.

“I know how you got pregnant,” Jade rolled her eyes as she opened her food. “I mean like were you not on birth control or not taking it?”

“Are you serious?” Cole stopped eating and glared at Jade.

“What? It’s a genuine question,” Jade shrugged slowly as she looked between Madi and Cole. “I mean you knew he was a med student, you knew his workload and what his future earnings will be. Did you get pregnant to trap him?”

Madi swallowed, the guilt growing in the pit of her stomach. The guilt she thought she had let go of a while ago but now it was back with a vengeance. She dipped her head and bit her lip.

“I don’t think this is any of your business,” Cole growled as he glared at Jade.

“Who are you to question Madi like that?” Rachel glared at Jade as she pushed her food away. “How do you know they didn’t plan this pregnancy? How do you know that it was Cole’s idea that they have a baby? You don’t know them.”

“I should let you guys get back to studying,” Madi mumbled as she got up and grabbed her box of food before walking away quickly.

“Babe,” Cole called out as he followed Madi quickly.

“I’m just going to go home,” She mumbled, trying to hide how upset she was and Cole grabbed her by her hips when she reached her car. “I’m okay,” she mumbled.

“Babe, don’t listen to her,” he turned her around slowly and lifted her chin to make her look at him.

“I’m just hormonal,” she mumbled and closed her eyes slowly. “Just focus on your paper, I’m okay.”

“I’m going to pack up my stuff and come home with you,” he stroked her cheek gently.

“No, you need to focus on your paper, I’m fine, I promise,” she gave him a small kiss.

“I’m coming home with you,” he frowned slightly.

“I’m fine to go home, just finish up your paper,” she whispered and leant back against her car. “I just want some time alone.”

“Okay,” he sighed quietly and pulled her into a protective bear hug, kissing the top of her head. “Text me when you get home.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled into his chest as she wrapped her arms around her waist.

“Don’t apologise, I just worry about you,” he pulled back from the hug slowly and cupped her cheek gently.

“I love you,” she whispered and kissed him gently.

“I love you too,” he mumbled against her lips as he held her in his arms. “I’ll be home later.”

“Take your time, you’re going to kill this paper,” she whispered and pulled back before she unlocked her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Please enjoy this chapter!

Madi sat slumped down on the couch watching tv, Jade’s words playing over and over in her head. It just didn’t stop. Was she trapping Cole? Was she ruining his future? The questions kept running through her head. It made the guilty feeling worse in the pit of her stomach. She felt horrible, all she wanted to do is was curl up in a ball and cry.

“Hey Madz,” Ethan grinned as he walked into the apartment and plopped down on the couch next to her.

“Do you think I trapped Cole?” Madi asked solemnly as she stared at the floor.

“No, why would you ask that?” Ethan frowned deeply as he watched her carefully.

“He has an amazing future and I’m putting that in jeopardy, with a baby that isn’t biologically his,” she had tears stinging her eyes as she stared at the floor.

“You didn’t trap Cole, he decided to be her father, he made that choice,” he put his hand on her arm. “You’ve got to stop feeling guilty about this, Cole’s a big boy, he decided to be her dad,” he pulled her into a tight hug.

Madi sobbed into Ethan’s chest as he held her, she needed that reassurance. She pulled away slowly and wiped her eyes.

“You need to stop feeling guilty,” He whispered before getting up. “I’m getting the ice cream, we need this.”

  
\------------------------------------------ 

  
Madi groaned quietly as she woke up in an empty bed the next morning, she sighed as she sat up and rubbed her bump. She forced herself to get up and quietly made her way out of the room.

“Who does Jade think she is?” Ethan growled as his voice echoed from the kitchen.

“I don’t want them coming over anymore,” Cole sighed loudly. “I’m sick of everything tearing her down, making her feel guilty. Can’t she just enjoy being pregnant? This is supposed to be a happy time but something just keeps tearing her down.”

“Maybe we should take her out and have a day to make her feel better?” Rachel suggested quietly. “Or we could go away for the weekend, just head down to one of the lakes while it’s still warm enough.”

“We could head back home for the weekend,” Cole suggested quietly.

“We could leave tomorrow night after class,” Ethan agreed.

Madi took a deep breath and walked down the hall slowly. Cole immediately pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

“Morning baby,” Cole whispered into her hair. “We’re just talking about going home for the weekend, what do you think?”

“Morning,” Madi mumbled into his chest before pulling away. “Sounds good,” she looked down slowly at her bump. “I should get ready for my class.”

“Have something to eat first,” Cole immediately went to the kitchen and started to make her breakfast.

“Cole, you don’t have to,” she protested quietly as she walked into the kitchen.

“I want to,” he put a bagel in the toaster and turned around, kissing her slowly. “I love taking care of my girls.”

  
\----------------------

  
Madi sighed quietly as she got out of Cole’s car at her parent’s house, they were dropping in before they headed to Cole’s parents’ house. They were away for the weekend so they were all going to stay there. Madi just didn’t feel like herself, she just felt down. She hoped this weekend away would make her start to feel like herself again and let her push the hurtful words of others away. She wanted to be excited about the baby again and learn not to let others words affect that.

“Madi!” Augustus squealed as he ran out of the house with Julian.

The twins almost tackled Madi over which made her relax and laugh quietly. Julian put his hands on her bump with a wide smile.

‘Your niece is getting big,’ Cole signed to the twins with a proud smile.

‘She kicks now, maybe you’ll get to feel her,’ Madi smiled and ruffled Julian’s hair. “Let’s head inside,” she looked at Cole and gave him a quick peck.

Madi walked inside holding Cole’s hand, he lifted her hand and kissed it gently.

“I love you,” Cole whispered and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“I love you too,” she smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.

“Hey baby girl,” Bellamy beamed as he came out of the kitchen and engulfed her into a bear hug.

“Hey Dad,” Madi smiled as she pulled away from the hug slowly.

“How’s my granddaughter?” Bellamy beamed as he looked down at his daughter’s growing belly.

“She’s good, halfway there,” she laughed quietly as she rubbed her bump. “Cole has been taking very good care of the both of us.”

“She’s the one who had been taking care of me,” Cole grinned proudly and kissed the top of her head.

“Your mom had to work tonight, Anya had an emergency,” Bellamy explained as he led them into the lounge room.

“We’re here bitches!” Octavia and Raven called out in unison as they burst through the front door.

Raven and Octavia hugged Madi tightly causing Madi to giggle quietly. The older women pulled back to take in Madi’s appearance.

“How is she?” Octavia asked quietly.

“She’s good, she likes to kick a lot whenever she hears Cole’s voice,” Madi smiled as she leant against Cole.

“It’s good to see you relaxed,” Raven smiled slowly.

It didn’t take long for the rest of her aunties, uncles and grandparents to make their way into the house. Madi felt like she was back in her element with her family around her and Cole by her side. She relaxed on Cole’s lap as her family laughed at a story Jasper was telling.

“So Zane rode his bike into a tree?” Lincoln asked in a rough tone.

“Yep,” Madi popped the p as she put her hand over Cole’s on her bump. “Thank god.”

“Why do I feel like you had something to do with this love?” Murphy looked at his wife with a raised eyebrow.

“I may or may not have loosened some bolts on Zane’s bike,” Raven shrugged and took a sip of her drink. “It can’t be traced back to me or anyone. Should’ve taken the maintenance of his bike more seriously.”

Cole wrapped his arms around Madi tighter and kissed her cheek. Murphy gave his wife a proud smile and kissed her slowly.

“I told you I’d take care of it,” Raven nodded at Cole. “Your little family is part of my family, I’m going to keep you guys safe. Plus it's better than you getting arrested and leaving my poor niece pregnant and alone.”

Bellamy suddenly got up and engulfed Raven in a bear hug, he held the hug for long while before pulling back. They shared a knowing look before he returned to his seat, kissing Madi on the forehead on the way.

“Thank god that monster is dead,” Aurora mumbled as she shifted next to Tybe.

“So Cole, are you ready to be a father?” Ellie asked as she sat on the arm of the chair Alex was sitting on, her fingers played in his hair.

“I’m excited for her to get here,” Cole grinned brightly as he rubbed Madi’s bump gently. “We need to start setting up her room. We’ve got a lot of shopping to do.”

“Wait until after the baby shower, you might get everything you need for her,” Aurora nodded slowly.

“I’m not having a baby shower,” Madi shook her head as she adjusted herself on Cole’s lap.

“Why not?” Octavia frowned as she rocked Ash to sleep.

“You guys don’t have to buy us gifts,” Madi shook her head and looked down.

“We want to buy you presents for her,” Harper spoke up, she was sitting next to Madi and Cole. “It’s your first baby, we want to celebrate with you.”

“We want to do,” Aurora gave Madi a kind smile and her guilt started to melt away. “Have you guys decided on a name yet?”

“We haven’t even started discussing names yet,” Cole chuckled and kissed Madi’s cheek gently.

“I guess we should start,” Madi cuddled into Cole’s arms more.

  
\----------------------------------------------

  
Madi pulled her hair up into a messy bun before she crawled into bed with Cole at his parents’ house. Ethan and Rachel were staying in the guest bedroom. Cole was already in bed reading one of his textbooks.

“Have you thought of any names?” She asked quietly as she sat up on her knees.

“I have a few,” Cole smiled as he put his textbook to the side.  
“What names?” She smiled as she watched him start to rub her bump.

“I like the names Cora, Rory and Rose,” he smiled and leant down kissing her bump gently.

“I like them,” she smiled wider as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“Which names do you like love?” he grinned widely as he moved to lay on his side.

“I do like Cora and Rose,” she smiled still playing with his hair.

“What about Cora Rose Ryan?” he drew a heart on her bump with the tip of his finger.

“That does sound good,” she hummed before laughing quietly when the baby kicked. “She seems to like it.”

Cole smiled and leant up kissing her gently before he moved to sit up.

“I like seeing you like this,” he whispered as he stroked her cheek.

“Like what?” She asked quietly as she continued to rub her bump.

“Happy and excited for our little girl,” he whispered as he stroked her cheek. “I hate seeing you feel guilty or thinking you’ve trapped me or that you’re jeopardizing my future. I’ve made the choice to be her dad and I couldn’t be happier about it.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered and dipped her head.

“Stop,” he whispered and lifted her chin. “I want to be her dad more than anything, you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. I want you to smile, be happy and celebrate with me the fact that we’re going to have the cutest little girl in the entire world.”

Madi laughed quietly and kissed him gently as he pulled her into his lap.

“Now did we just name her?” He asked with a quiet chuckle.

“I think we did,” she whispered as she pulled back slightly.

“Time to seal the deal with a kiss,” He smirked devilishly as she leant in to kiss him. “Not that type of kiss.”

He laid her down on her back and pulled her shorts off in one swift movement before pressing a kiss to her core. She moaned loudly as he delved in deeper.

  
\------------------------------------- 

Madi walked down from her car to the edge of the river, Cole, Rachel and Ethan were already in the water.

“Babe, you’re not wearing that shirt in,” Cole shook his head with a chuckle.

“Take it off!” Rachel and Ethan started to chant.

“You do not want to see me in a bikini,” Madi shook her head as Cole got out of the water.

“I want to see you in a bikini,” Cole smirked and kissed her slowly.

“Fine,” Madi grumbled and pulled off her shirt.

“Damn Girl!” Rachel wolf-whistled.

“I feel huge,” Madi groaned as she rubbed her bump.

“You look beautiful,” Cole smiled proudly and kissed her slowly before he picked her up, racing her down to the water.

Madi laughed loudly as Cole dunked her into the water. Madi clung to Cole and hooked her legs around his waist, kissing him gently.

“Should we tell them?” Cole grinned proudly as he kept his arms around her, his hand cupping her ass.

“Tell us what?” Ethan asked as he pulled Rachel into his arms.

“Your niece officially has a name,” Madi smiled as her fingers laced into Cole’s hair.

“She does?” Rachel perked up happily as she relaxed against Ethan.

“Cora Rose Ryan,” Cole beamed happily as he spun Madi around in the water, making her laugh happily. “Cora even agreed on it.”

“We need to start planning her room,” Rachel beamed as she swam over to Madi. “Pink everything.”

“Maybe not that much pink,” Madi laughed and unhooked herself from Cole. “We should go shopping soon.”

“Let’s go tomorrow, there’s a little boutique in town, they make theses custom blankets with the name of the baby on it,” Rachel grinned as she stood up in the water.

“You researched?” Madi laughed quietly as she stood up near Rachel.

“Of course I did, I wanted to get my niece something cool,” Rachel laughed quietly and hugged Madi tightly. “I’m going to be her favourite aunty,” Rachel smiled proudly.

“Ah, I think not!” Minerva’s voice called out as she walked towards the water with Theo, Jordon and Taylor.

“Mini!” Madi smiled and walked out of the water towards her family.

“Holy shit you’re huge!” Taylor laughed loudly, hugging Madi tightly.

“Thanks,” Madi laughed as she pulled away from the hug. “Why do I sense there’s going to be a great war for the title of the favourite aunty and uncle?”

“It’s on Ethan!” Taylor screamed as he ran into the water.

Jordan, Minerva and Theo ran into the water laughing, Madi laughed quietly as she sat on the shore. Cole walked onto shore slowly and sat next to Madi, rubbing her bump.

“You okay babe?” Cole asked quietly and kissed her cheek.

“Yeah I just feel a little queasy,” Madi mumbled quietly and put her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for this weekend, I really needed it.”

“We all needed it,” Cole kissed her forehead gently and laced his fingers through hers. “I just want you to be happy and enjoy this time while our daughter grows inside you.”

Madi looked up at him and kissed him slowly, wrapping her arms around him.

“I love you,” she whispered and cuddled into his side.

“I love you too,” he smiled and rubbed her bump. “I love you too Cora.”

“Mommy loves you too Cora,” Madi whispered and rubbed her bump.

  
\----------------------------------

  
Things were better since their weekend trip away, the weather had turned cold in the 5 weeks since they went away. Classes had gotten busier and busier but Cole, Rachel and Ethan were hanging out for Halloween. The three of them were going to a party at the Alpha house while Madi hung out with her mother and her aunties. Madi’s belly kept growing as the weeks went by and Madi was actually enjoying being pregnant.

Madi stood outside the library with Rachel, Cole, Ethan and a few of the Alpha boys. Madi stretched slowly, it had been a long day of studying.

“Hey Baby,” Cole grinned as he slung an arm around her shoulders. 

“Hey,” Madi smiled up at him slowly before the guys went back to their conversation.

Their conversation suddenly fell silent as they all simultaneously stared a woman walking past the library. She was the type of girl who’s legs went on for days that matched her model physic. The woman’s build matched more of what you’d find on a catwalk. Her build was a different kind of attractive from Madi’s curves and a full chest. The woman was wearing a dress that fit her like a second skin with a deep v neckline, the type you could only wear if you had a smaller chest size. The black fabric contrasted her rose gold blonde hair and naturally, sun-kissed skin. Her make up was in an easy no-makeup look and the two front pieces of her hair were pinned back out of her face. She was stunning.

“Whoa...” Cole breathed out as his eyes remained glued on the woman. 

“So fucking hot,” one of the frat brothers breathed out. 

“You can say that again,” Cole breathed out, still fully focused on the woman. 

The back of Madi’s hand slapped against Cole’s chest with an auditable thump as she looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

“Asshole,” Madi half growled and rolled her eyes. “Girlfriend standing right here.”

“Baby,” Cole looked down at her as he captured her face in his hands. “No one compares to you,” he grinned before giving her a sweet kiss. 

“She is really hot,” she mumbled against his lips. 

“Not as hot as you,” he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“Doubt that,” She laughed quietly and shook her head. “I’m the size of a house,” she pulled back and rubbed her bump. “I’m going to head home, my mom should be getting here soon.”

“Okay I’ll see you when I get home tonight,” he kissed her gently before pulling away with a smirk. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled and kissed him again before she walked towards the parking lot.

  
\--------------------------- 

  
Madi sat at the restaurant with her mother and her aunts, they were having dinner before they left the next morning for a girls weekend. They wanted to stop by to see Madi before they went. It felt good spending the night with her mom and aunties.

“So what’s Cole up to tonight?” Raven asked quietly as she took a sip of her drink.

“At a Halloween party at the Alpha house, they were trying to convince me to go with them,” Madi laughed quietly and sat back. “I’m too pregnant to go to a party,” she ran her hand over her bump. “I will have to drop by later though.”

“Why’s that?” Octavia raised her eyebrow slowly.

“I’m going to have to pick up Cole,” Madi laughed grabbing a fry off her plate.

“I thought he was getting an uber back,” Clarke frowned slightly from her seat next to Madi.

“He’s going to drunk call me, wanting me to pick him up,” Madi laughed and rubbed her bump slowly.

“How do you know that’s going to happen?” Clarke raised her eyebrow slowly.

“I may not have known Cole as long as you knew dad but I know him better than anyone else,” Madi laughed and shook her head. “That and I picked on him for checking out a girl before I left. He’s going to feel guilty about it and call me. He shouldn’t feel guilty, she was fucking hot.”

“I suspect you’re more like your mother than we know,”   
Harper laughed and wiggled her eyebrows.

“I appreciate hotness when I see it,” Madi laughed and ran a hand through her hair. 

“So are you two going to have another baby soon?” Octavia raised her eyebrow at her niece slowly.

“Let me have this one first,” Madi shook her head and rubbed her bump slowly.

“I have a present for her,” Raven beamed happily and passed Madi an envelope. 

Madi opened the envelope to find a picture of a crib that converted into a toddler bed made out of dark wood.

“Birdie,” Madi breathed out as tears filled her eyes.

“I had to tell you now because it’s being delivered tomorrow,” Raven laughed as she got up and hugged Madi. “I thought this would be the best gift for her considering I’m pretty sure she’ll never need any clothes thanks to this lot.”

Madi laughed and squeezed Raven tightly before Raven made a quick return to her seat.

“Are you going to tell us her name yet?” Clarke groaned impatiently. “Both your sister and father know but they’re being tight-lipped about it.”

“Dad found out by accident, he saw the blanket Rachel got her when he came to measure her room for the furniture,” Madi laughed rubbing her bump slowly. “Mini was there when Rachel ordered the blanket. I swore them both to secrecy.”

“Madi, please just put me out of my misery,” Clarke groaned, it was the same conversation they had been having for a few weeks now.

“I spoke to Cole and he agrees that it’s about time I tell you,” Madi smiled and looked at her mother. “Her name is,” she paused for a moment to tease her mother. “Cora Rose Ryan.” 

Madi was expecting a big reaction from her mother but tears and being tackled into a hug wasn’t what she expected. She got a chorus of awes from her aunts.

“That’s so beautiful,” Clarke pulled away and wiped her eyes slowly.

“Don’t cry mom, you’re going to make me cry,” Madi waved her hand in front of her face to try and stop herself from crying. 

“I just can’t believe my little girl is having her own little girl,” Clarke spoke quietly as she wiped her eyes. “You’ve grown up so fast.”

“I still can’t believe you’re going to be a grandmother before you’re forty,” Octavia laughed as she shook her head slowly.

“I suppose it’s payback because I did the same to your mother,” Clarke laughed quietly as wiped her eyes with her napkin. 

“Clarkie, a grandmother at the ripe old age of 37,” Raven laughed quietly and sat back in her seat watching her friend.

“Hell, my mom could be a great great grandmother by the time she’s seventy,” Octavia laughed even louder as she put her head on Raven’s shoulder still in her laughing fit.

“There is no way in hell she is even going to contemplate having a baby at 15,” Madi laughed shaking her head. “She’s not going to know how to have sex until she’s 18 at least.”

“Good luck with that,” Harper laughed shaking her head.

“Welcome to motherhood, Mads,” Raven smiled and raised her cup.

  
\-------------------------------- 

  
Madi yawned as she got out of the shower and got changed into one of Cole’s shirts with a pair of sweats. Nothing feeling comfortable enough. She yawned as she pulled her hair into a bun, it was close to 1 am and she knew Cole would be calling soon. As if on schedule her phone started to ring with Cole’s name flashing on her screen.

“Baby I’m sorry,” Cole’s voice was full of guilt as soon as she answered.

“Don’t be,” Madi spoke in a soft voice as she sat on the bed and pulled on her slippers.

“I shouldn’t have checked her out,” he sighed defeated.

“Cole, she was hot, I was teasing you. I even checked her out,” Madi stood up slowly and rubbed her bump slowly. “It’s okay to check someone out, I’m not mad at you.”

“I’m sorry baby,” he sighed loudly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Seriously, Cole it’s fine,” She grabbed a hoodie from their closet. “Want me to come pick you up?”

“Yeah, please,” He sighed again. “I love you.”

“I love you too, I’ll be there soon,” She spoke quietly before she hung up.

Madi drove over to the Alpha house and parked a little away from the house, she earned some side eyed looks from some girls as she walked up to the frat house. She weaved through the crowd of people until she was stopped by one of the frat brothers, Issac dressed as a skeleton.

“Madi!” Issac smiled widely and gave her a quick hug. “How’s our Alpha niece?”

“Growing,” Madi laughed and looked down at her bump. “15 weeks to go.”

“You guys didn’t tell us you two got hitched,” Issac looked at Madi with a raised eyebrow.

“We didn’t,” She shook her head slowly and rubbed her back. “Cole telling everyone again?”

“Yep,” Issac laughed rubbing the back of his neck. “We all believed it because of her. Why didn’t you come earlier?”

“I’m six months pregnant besides I spent the night with my mom and my aunties,” she shrugged slowly and stretched slowly. “I’m just picking up Cole.”

“He’s out the back, are you guys coming over for the movie night tomorrow?” He watched her with a kind smile.

“Yeah we’ll be there, I better go find him, I’ll see you tomorrow,” She smiled and weaved her way to the backyard of the Alpha house.

She found Cole sitting on the back stairs with his head resting against a pillar, he was talking to a couple of girls. One of the girls was dressed as a pixie, another was in a set of lingerie with a pair of cat ears and the last one was wearing a very short Alice in wonderland costume.

“Madi, my wife’s favorite drink was whiskey before she,” Cole slurred slightly and paused to take a sip of his beer.

“Got pregnant?” Madi finished with a quiet laugh.

Cole turned around at lightening speed and his whole face lit up, he stumbled up and pulled her into his arms.

“Madi,” he mumbled into her hair as he held her close to his chest.

“Missed me huh?” she laughed quietly as she looked up at him.

“I always miss my girls,” he mumbled not letting her go as he kissed the top of her head repeatedly. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“Stop apologizing,” she pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “I don’t care if you check out other people or think they’re hot, it’s just looking. As long as you don’t act on it, it’s harmless.”

“You’re amazing,” he mumbled as he held her face between her hands and leant down kissing her slowly.

“Want to get take out on the way home?” She smirked as his face lit up even more.

“I love you,” he mumbled as his lips came crashing down on hers.

“I love you too dork,” she smiled as she pulled back from the kiss. “Let’s go.”

Madi couldn’t help but laugh at Cole’s drunk ramblings on the car ride home. He professed his love for her over and over again as he ate the fast food they picked up on the way home. She helped him into the apartment and into bed where he fell asleep almost instantly.

“I’m so Lucky to have you,” she whispered and kissed his forehead gently as she pulled the covers over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I'm so sorry for the delay, work has been crazy and I've been in hospital but I'm back with a new chapter for you guys!

Madi was ready for her classes to be over already but with Thanksgiving coming up she grateful to have a couple of days off to just chill with their family. Madi sighed loudly as she walked into the library with her textbooks. She found Cole, Rachel and Ethan sitting at a table in the corner.

“Sorry I’m late, I had to turn in my other paper,” Madi sighed as she put her stuff down and kissed Cole slowly.

“Has Cole told you yet?” Rachel asked excitedly as Madi plopped down on the seat.

“Told me what?” Madi raised her eyebrow as she looked at Cole.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not going,” Cole sighed loudly as he ran his hand threw his hair.

“Every year they pick two of the top-scoring Juniors to go on a three-week internship with Doctors without borders in South America,” Rachel beamed happily as she watched Madi. “This year Cole was chosen.”

“That’s amazing,” Madi beamed happily as she turned to Cole.

“I’m not going,” Cole sighed and sat back in his seat running his hand down his face.

“Why not?” Madi frowned deeply and crossed her arms.

“They leave on New years day,” Rachel spoke up as Cole groaned.

“It’s too close to your due date,” Cole rubbed his hand against Madi’s bump.

“Cole, you can go. You’ll be back weeks before my due date,” Madi frowned concerned as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“I can’t,” he shook his head before getting out of his seat, storming out of the library.

“He has to go, this is an amazing opportunity and will look amazing his transcript,” Rachel watched Madi carefully.

“I’ll talk to him,” Madi spoke quietly as she stood up and walked out of the library after Cole.

Madi found Cole sitting against the wall on the side of the library, Madi struggled to sit down on the ground next to him but eventually made it.

“Cole, you should really go on this trip,” Madi spoke quietly as she watched him. “You’re the top of your class, you deserve this.”

“I can’t go away on this trip, Madi,” Cole dipped his head as his fingers fidgeted on his lap.

“Why not?” she frowned slowly as she watched him carefully.  
“What happens if you go into labour and I’m not even in the country?” Cole looked at Madi with tears in his eyes. “What if something happens to you and Cora?”

“Cole, we’ll be fine I promise, I’ll stay with my parents,” She spoke quietly as she watched him put his hand on her bump. “This is an amazing opportunity, Cole, I don’t want you to miss out on it.”

“And I don’t want to miss the birth of our daughter and the last few weeks of your pregnancy,” he groaned loudly as he threw his head back.

“I’ll cross my legs and hold her in,” She smirked slowly and watched him laugh quietly. “When do you need to let them know?”

“After Thanksgiving,” he sighed and ran his hand down his face.

“Well, Cora, what do you think? Should daddy go on this trip?” Madi spoke down to her bump quietly as Cole rubbed her bump slowly.

“Will you and Mommy be okay if I go?” he whispered as the baby started to kick against his hand.

“See she wants you to go too,” she looked at him slowly.

“I just worry,” he admitted quietly.

“We’ll be okay, I promise,” she whispered and rested her head on his shoulder.

\----------------------------------

Madi sighed as she got out of the car at Cole’s parents' house. She stretched as she watched Cole get the bags out of the back of the car. 

“Come inside,” Jane called out as she came down to the front stairs. “You must be freezing.”

“The cold air is nice,” Madi smiled slowly as she rubbed her bump. 

“How was the drive down?” Jane smiles as she led Madi inside the house. 

“It was good, we had an ultrasound before we left,” Madi started to pull her jacket off with a relieved sigh. 

“How is she? Is everything okay?” Jane looked slightly worried as she took Madi’s coat. 

“She’s fine, Mom,” Cole laughed as he put down the bags in the entryway. “She didn’t let us see her face today, she kept covering it. I have a video on my phone.”

“I have to show you what I picked up for her yesterday,” Jane smiled wider as she watched Madi. 

“Let them settle in first, Jane,” Henry chuckles as he hugged Cole. “Your mother has been a little crazy with shopping for the baby.”

“It’s our first grandbaby, I’m allowed to spoil her,” Jane shot her husband a look. “Come on, I made brownies.”

“Madi’s been craving brownies all week,” Cole laughed as he put his hand on Madi’s back protectively. 

“I had constant chocolate cravings with Cole,” Jane commented as they walked towards the kitchen. 

“She likes sweet things, most of my cravings are sweet,” Madi spoke quietly as she leant against the bench. 

“Julia, Chloe and Steven should be back soon from the shops,” Henry spoke up as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“They’re here for Thanksgiving?” Cole frowned deeply as he looked at his parents. 

“Yeah, they decided to show up unexpectedly,” Jane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ve already let Aurora know that we’ll have extras with us.” 

“Fantastic,” Cole grumbled as he rolled his eyes. 

“Julia is my sister and her children aren’t the best guests,” Henry sighed quietly. 

“They’re judgmental assholes,” Cole grumbled loudly. “Holier than thou.”

“Please ignore any comments they make,” Jane spoke quietly as she watched Madi carefully. 

“Reminds me of Abby,” Madi muttered and ran her fingers through her hair. 

“While we’re in the kitchen, let me show you what I set up for the baby,” Jane changed the subject easily as she led Madi over to one of the cabinets. 

Jane opened the cabinet to reveal bottles, sippy cups, kids bowls and pretty much anything you’d need for a baby in the kitchen. 

“I wanted to have anything we’d need for her when we look after her here,” Jane smiled proudly as she grabbed a set of bibs out. “I found this when I was shopping with Aurora.”

Madi smiled as she looked at the bibs that had butterflies sewn onto them. 

“They’re adorable,” Madi smiled wider as she looked up at Jane. “I feel like you guys are more prepared than we are.”

“We’ve got the crib set up, Raven got it for us,” Cole smiled as he put his hand on Madi’s back. 

“Ours is being delivered next week, it’s going into the guest room near our room,” Jane beamed happily. 

“I don’t think you understand how excited your mother is,” Henry chuckled and kissed his wife’s cheek. 

“Thank you Mom,” Cole smiles as he pulled his mother into a tight hug. 

“Now, show me the video from this morning,” Jane beamed as they moved into the lounge room with plates of brownies. 

“We’re back!” An older female voice called out just as they sat down on the lounges. 

Madi turned her head to see an older woman clearly overdressed with a girl who was around their age and a boy who looked mid-twenties. 

“Cole, you’re here!” The woman beamed widely before narrowing her eyes at Madi. “Oh, you brought company.”

“Aunt Julia, this is my girlfriend, Madi,” Cole spoke stiffly as the three newcomers stared at Madi. 

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Julia spoke with a silent sneer that made Madi shift uncomfortably. 

“Babe, these are my cousins, Steven and Chloe,” Cole squeezed Madi’s hand gently. 

“Nice to meet you,” Madi spoke quietly as she shifted next to Cole uncomfortably. 

“How’d you end up knocked up?” Steven asked bluntly. “Skipped out on your birth control?”

“Steven,” Henry growled loudly, shooting daggers at his nephew. 

Madi could’ve have been more thankful when her phone went off. She looked down at it, thankful to draw her attention away from Steven’s comment. 

“You’re an asshole,” Cole growled loudly as he protectively put his hand over Madi’s Bump. 

“Vincent is in town and wants to meet me at Lincoln’s,” Madi spoke quietly as she started to get up.

“So who’s Vincent?” Julia asked smugly as she crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Madi. 

“Vincent is my art dealer,” Madi spoke up firmly as she adjusted her shirt. “Seeing as you’re coming to Thanksgiving, you’ll meet him tomorrow.”

Julia scoffed and Cole stood up to follow Madi. 

“Maybe you should stay with your family Cole,” Julia glared at Madi as she spoke. 

“Madi and our daughter are my family,” Cole snapped back. “We’ll be back later,” he spoke softer to his parents, who just nodded slowly. 

Madi could feel Cole’s anger as it pulled through him. It barely left him the entire drive to Lincoln’s gallery. 

“Why can’t my family be like yours?” Cole groaned as he raked his hand down his face. 

“Every family has their assholes, we have Abby, you have Julia,” Madi shrugged as she started to get out of the car. 

“Don’t let them make you feel like shit,” he sighed as he grabbed her hand to stop her from getting out. 

“Their opinion doesn’t matter to me,” Madi gave him a small reassuring smile. 

“I love you,” he whispered before kissing her slowly. 

“I love you too,” she mumbled against his lips before pulling away. 

They made their way into the Gallery, Cole kept his arm around her waist protectively as they got inside. 

“Madi, you look positively radiant,” Vincent beamed as he walked over and kissed her cheek. “Pregnancy suits you.”

“You’re lying but I appreciate it, even the doctor today commented how drained I look,” Madi laughed and shook her head slowly. 

“I would never lie about that,” Vincent smirked and shook Cole’s hand. “Congratulations, you two are going to be fantastic parents.”

“Thank you,” Cole smiled relaxing as pulled Madi into his side. 

“Now I’ve got to speak to you about the Barstone commissions,” Vincent’s tone immediately turned to his business tone as he watched Madi carefully. “They went them a lot sooner now.”

“All 7 of them?” Madi felt her eyes go wide, she thought she had six months to work of them. “How soon are we talking?”

“All seven of them by the end of January, I told them I would need to speak to you first,” Vincent watched Madi carefully, examining the reaction in her face. “They’re willing to pay more to get them sooner, double actually.”

“I can do it,” Madi nodded slowly as she ran her hand through her hair. 

“Are you sure? I know it’s close to your due date,” Vincent looked slightly worried. 

“I’ll be staying with my parents most of January, I’ll just camp out in the studio,” Madi smiled slowly as she squeezed Cole’s hand. “Gives me something to do while you’re away,” Madi looked up at Cole with a small smile. 

“Perfect, I’ll let them know,” Vincent grinned widely. 

“Thanks, Vincent,” Madi leant against Cole slightly as she rubbed her bump. 

  
————————

  
Sleep was evading her and it’s frustrating her beyond all belief because she was tired. She sat through a beyond awkward dinner with Cole’s aunt and cousins, dodging their comments. Honestly, it was exhausting. Madi sighed loudly and pulled herself out of bed carefully, she didn’t want to wake Cole. He looked so peaceful, curled up slightly and his mouth open ever so slightly. His dark hair was a mess, sticking in all directions. 

She watched as his form moved slowly in time with his breathing. She tore her eyes away from him and grabbed one of his old hoodies from the closet, pulling it on. Thankfully the door didn’t creak when she opened it up and slipped out of the room. 

Light illuminated from downstairs and the sound of a hushed argument floated upstairs. A frown started to form on her brow as she started to make her way downstairs silently. 

“So the brat isn’t even his?” Julia hissed loudly. 

“I don’t know,” Henry sighed loudly. “Keep your damn mouth shut about it,” his voice turned into a low growl. 

“Have you tried offering her money?” Julia asked with a loud scoff. 

“If my son says that’s his daughter, that’s his daughter. I’m not losing him, so keep your god damn mouth shut,” Henry growled louder. “I’m serious, Julia.”

“The kid isn’t his, you said it yourself, he was dating someone else when she got pregnant,” Julia hissed loudly. “Who knows who knocked her up, who knows how many people she was fucking and you’re going to let her pin that brat on him?”

Madi silently turned around to go back upstairs but she missed the step and fell forward but grabbed the bannister just in time to stop her from falling down the stairs. 

“Fuck,” Madi groaned loudly as she steadied herself. 

She could hear someone coming up the stairs behind her but her head was spinning too much for her to do react. 

“Madi? Are you okay?” Henry’s voice was soft as he put his hand on her back gently. 

“Yeah, I was just going to get some water, I don’t feel too good,” Madi groaned quietly as she held onto the bannister, her head was still spinning. 

“Let me help you get back to bed,” Henry offered quietly as he shifted her to lean into his side before guiding her back to the room. “Maybe you should go for a check-up, you don’t look too good,” He spoke quietly. 

“I just need to sleep it off,” Madi sighed as she sat on the bed, rubbed her bump. “Thanks.”

“Get some sleep,” he frowned concerned as he walked out of the room slowly. 

“Babe?” Cole groaned, still half asleep. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m okay, I just feel dizzy,” she whispered quietly. 

Her words made him bolt up and turn the lamp on. His tired eyes took in every inch of her body, frowning at how pale she was. 

“We’re going to the hospital,” Cole spoke firmly as he threw back the covers and got out of bed. 

“Cole, I just need to sleep it off,” She rubbed her bump slowly. 

“No, babe,” he shook his head as he got dressed quickly. “We’re going.”

  
—————————

  
Madi yawned as she watched the nurse take another blood sample for a test. They had been at the hospital for nearly two hours and it was creeping closer to one in the morning. Cole was barely staying awake in the seat next to her bed, he was tired but equally as worried. The nurse adjusted the monitor around Madi’s bump. 

“We’re definitely going to keep you overnight so try and get some sleep,” the nurse offered Madi a kind smile. “Baby’s heart rate is good, we just need to figure what’s going on with you, mom.”

“Thank you,” Madi gave the nurse a tired smile before she watched the nurse start to walk out. 

“Why don’t you head back to your parents?” Madi asked with a yawn as she slid lower into the bed. 

“Not a chance,” Cole shook his head and got comfortable on the armchair. “Madi, I’m staying right here.”

“You can’t be comfortable,” She mumbled as she watched him. 

“I’m comfortable enough to sleep, go to sleep,” he turned off the light by the bed before he kissed her forehead gently. 

Cole settled down into the seat and dozed off pretty quickly. Madi was able to fall asleep quickly after him. 

——————

Madi was hoping that they would let her out before thanksgiving dinner but she wasn’t too sure. Cole was still asleep hunched up uncomfortably on the armchair. Madi couldn’t sleep, she was nauseous and she just felt off. 

Madi sighed as sat up and rubbed her face. Cole must have heard her sigh and immediately sat up looking slightly panicked. 

“Sorry,” Madi sighed quietly and rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Are you okay?” Cole frowned deeply as he got up and rubbed her back. 

“Yeah, the nurse came and gave me a shot to stop nausea,” Madi sighed and leant against him slowly. “The doctor should be in soon.”

“Good, hopefully, you’ll be out today,” he leant down and gave her a quick kiss. 

As soon as they broke apart from the kiss, Nyko walked in with Madi’s chart in hand. 

“Madi, I was doing rounds and I saw that you had been admitted,” Nyko spoke up as he opened up her chart. “So I thought I would come and check on you.”

“Thank you, Nyko,” Madi gave him a weak smile as a wave of nausea hit her again. 

“So I have your results back, the baby is fine but you are anaemic and you haven’t gained enough weight as I would like. You weigh the same as the last time I saw you, the baby is growing fine but you’ve lost some weight,” Nyko explained as he watched Madi carefully. 

“I don’t get it, I don’t feel like I’ve lost any weight,” Madi frowned slightly. “She’s okay right?”

“The baby is completely fine, but for you, I want to do an iron transfusion and I want you to up your diet to gain some more weight,” Nyko explained quietly as he handed Madi a sheet that had a list of foods. “I want to see you gain at least 15 more pounds before you give birth.”

“How long am I going to be here for?” Madi asked quietly as she read the list of food. 

“We’ll have you out by 3 but I want an appointment with you before you head back to campus,” Nyko gave her a small smile. “You should start to feel better in a few days.”

“Thanks, Nyko,” Madi spoke quietly as the nurse came in to start her IV. 

“I’ll check in on you before you leave,” Nyko walked out of the room slowly. 

Cole seemed to relax next to her as he kissed the top of her head. 

“I might head home and have a shower,” he whispered with a yawn. 

“Go, I’ll see you at 3,” she looked up at him slowly and winced quietly as the nurse put her IV. “We’re just going to chill here and have a nap.”

———————————

Madi knew how worried Cole was when they got to Aurora and Tybe’s place for thanksgiving after he picked her up from the hospital. Cole raced around the car to help her out and take her inside. He got her to a seat at the table as soon as they got inside. 

“How are you?” Clarke pulled Madi into a hug. 

“I’m okay, just need to gain some more weight and eat more iron,” Madi sighed and pulled back from the hug. 

“How did your doctor back home not notice this?” Clarke frowned deeply as she looked between Madi and Cole. 

“I don’t know but we’re not seeing her again,” Cole spoke firmly as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, I think we’ll just stick with Nyko, I’ll be here all January anyway,” Madi sighed and let Cole rub her shoulders. 

“What’s going on?” Octavia frowned as she walked into the dining room with Ash asleep in her arms. 

“Madi’s anaemic and Nyko is concerned that she’s the same weight she was when he last saw her at the end of summer,” Cole sounded defeated as he spoke. 

“How is that possible?” Octavia frowned deeply. 

“The baby has been gaining weight while I’m losing weight,” Madi sighed and tilted her head back. 

“Dinner is ready!” Bellamy’s voice called out from the kitchen. 

“I’ll go get yours,” Cole whispered as he leant down and kissed Madi gently. 

“Thanks,” Madi watched him walk into the kitchen. 

“You’re not having a fun time are you?” Octavia sighed quietly as she watched her niece. 

“Just ten more weeks and she’ll be here,” Madi rubbed her bump with a quiet sigh. 

“Hopefully the next one will be easier,” Octavia smiled as everyone started to make their way to the table with their food. 

“Where’s Henry and Jane?” Madi frowned slowly as she looked around the room. 

“Jane called, Julia booked for them to go to a restaurant instead,” Aurora spoke quietly as Cole sat down next to Madi. 

“Of course she did,” Cole rolled his eyes as he put Madi’s plate in front of her. 

“Madi, do you have the baby’s room set up?” Ellie asked as she sat next to Madi. 

“Not yet, we need to get it done after exams,” Madi shook her head slowly. “Rachel was going to help me before we leave for Christmas.”

“Do you know what you still need?” Aurora spoke up as she leant over to look at her. 

“Cole and I were just going to go pick out a diaper bag each,” Madi squeezed Cole’s hand as she spoke. “Cole found a backpack one he liked.”

“Got to keep it manly,” Lincoln laughed from across the table. 

“I will happily rock anything pink for her,” Cole laughed quietly and squeezed Madi’s hand gently. “Eat,” he encouraged quietly. 

“Madi was telling me before that you’ve gotten a great opportunity with Doctors Without Borders,” Raven smiled across the table. 

“Yeah, I leave on New Year’s Day for three weeks,” Cole nodded slowly. 

“That’s a little close to Madi’s due date,” Harper frowned slightly as she took Ash from Octavia. 

“I’m due three weeks after he gets back, I’m staying with mom and Dad while Cole’s away,” Madi picked at her food as she spoke. 

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Cole spoke quieter as his voice dropped. 

“Hell I wasn’t in town when Clarke went into labour with the twins, it’ll be fine,” Bellamy spoke up from his seat as he ate. “No one except Tybe was in town when Clarke had Theo.”

“It’s the first baby, they’re usually late anyway,” Clarke reassured with a kind smile that made Cole relax slightly.

“So we have Madz for three weeks, so we can do plenty of shopping and have a little baby shower for her,” Clarke beamed widely. 

“I also have to finish my commissions before she comes,” Madi laughed quietly. “I need to get them finished by the end of January.”

Madi felt Cole nudge her leg to eat, she just nodded and started to eat properly. 

“I know that I’m leaving them in good hands while I’m away,” Cole smiled and kissed Madi’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think!


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys,  
Welcome to the new chapter!

Madi yawned loudly as folded the baby’s laundry, she was waiting for Cole to get back from Walmart. He was buying the last couple things he needed for his trip, it was two days before Christmas. She had finished packing up her things and her hospital bag for her stay with her parents.   
  
“Hey baby,” Cole whispered as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I’m ready for this trip,” he buried his head into the crook of her neck.   
  
“It’s going to be weird but you’ll be back before you know it,” Madi mumbled leaning back against him.   
  
“Christmas is going to be interesting,” he whispered into her neck.   
  
“Hopefully it’s relaxed. She hasn’t been very active today,” she yawned again and finished putting the baby’s clothes away. “I need to go downstairs to get the last load out of the dryer.”   
  
“I’ll go get it, head to bed,” he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he unwrapped his arms from her.   
  
“Thank you,” she turned and pressed a kiss to his lips.   
  
“I’ll meet you in bed,” he kissed her back gently before he disappeared quickly.   
  
After their finals, they had fallen into an easy routine, getting ready for the baby, Christmas and Cole’s trip away. She would start doing different chores but Cole would always insist on finishing them. Rachel had gone a little wild decorating Cora’s nursery, she had picked up different wall decals and decorated a lot of it before Madi even had the chance to start.   
Madi sighed as she sank down on the bed, she rubbed her stomach slowly as her back ached.   
  
This pregnancy wasn’t easy, not just for the beginning or how she ended up pregnant but the complications she had. Being pregnant and the complications scared her, she was scared that something was going to go wrong or that she has done something wrong. She just wanted the baby to come already and be healthy.   
  
She didn’t want to worry Cole or anyone about her concerns, she didn’t want them to worry, this past year had already been a lot for them. A lot of drama and a lot of changes. She wasn’t proud of some of the things she had done. She wasn’t proud of sleeping with Cole twice while he had a girlfriend. She wasn’t proud of the lying she had done when she first found out she was pregnant. She wasn’t proud that she had let a monster like Zane get her pregnant.   
  
Worries started to fill her head more, the closer she got to her due date. Was she going to be a good mother? Was the baby going to be okay? Was she ready? Anxiety filled her as these questions raced through her head. It was exhausting.   
  
“Shit,” Madi winced quietly and rubbed her bump, pain squeezing her stomach.   
  
“Madi?” Cole frowned concerned as he dropped the basket of fresh laundry.   
  
“Braxton hicks,” she answered quietly as she breathed through the pain. “I’m okay.”   
  
“Need me to get you anything?” he sat next to her and rubbed her back gently.   
  
“I’m okay,” she whispered and rested her head on his shoulder. “I just need to get some sleep.”   
  
“Okay,” Cole kissed the top of her head gently.   
  
\--- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----   
  
Madi was in a bad mood the next morning, she had barely slept and she had kept having Braxton hicks all night. She was irritated and over tired. Cole had let Jade and Mike over for breakfast despite previously saying that he didn’t want them over. Jade had apparently apologized and made up with Cole, helping him with finals. It wouldn’t usually annoy Madi, he could hang out with who he wanted to but this morning it was rubbing her the wrong way.   
The fact that Cole was oblivious to Jade’s blatant flirting made Madi even more frustrated as she finished packing up their stuff. Being heavily pregnant, feeling unattractive and having Cole be so blind to this just made it worse.   
  
Madi rolled her eyes as she watched Jade give Cole a long drawn out hug, Rachel and Ethan had noticed this too, watching on with a frown.   
  
“What the fuck?” Rachel hissed at Cole as he walked over to them.   
  
“What? She has been helping me study for finals,” Cole defended with a shrug as Madi rolled her eyes again and opened the passenger side door. “Let me help you baby,” Cole raced around and tried to help her but she jerked away from him.   
  
“I can do it myself,” Madi half growled as she got into the car herself.   
  
Cole groaned and got into the driver’s seat, he shot her a look as he pulled out of their parking spot. Madi didn’t say anything as she stared out the window as they started to drive.   
  
“What did I do?” Cole growled frustrated “You’ve been pissed off at me all day, what did I do?”   
  
“I’m tired, I didn’t get to sleep last night,” Madi sighed and rubbed her forehead.   
  
Madi still didn’t look at him as they drove in silence. They spent two hours in silence, Cole was stewing in his frustration, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. When they got closer to town, Cole’s phone started going off with messages from Jade. Madi looked at his phone, sitting in the middle console and rolled her eyes with a quiet scoff.   
  
“What Madi?” Cole growled loudly as he gave her the side eye.   
  
“Nothing,” She sighed loudly and ran her hand through her hair.   
  
“Read them,” He spoke through his teeth as he gripped the steering wheel.   
  
“What?” she looked at him with a frown.   
  
“You’re pissed off that she’s texting me so read the messages,” he growled loudly as he picked up his phone and handed it to her. “Go on and read them out loud.”   
  
Madi sighed and took the phone from him, opening the messages on his phone.   
  
“It was really good to spend time with you last night and this morning,” She read the first message out loud. “It sucks that you’re feeling that way and I hope the trip away makes you feel better. Gives you some space,” she felt her hands shaking as she continued to read. “I can’t wait to hang out when you’re back. You need to tell Madi how you really feel about this and tell her straight. You should tell her sooner rather than later.”   
  
Madi tossed his phone back onto the center console and ran a shaky hand through her hair.   
  
“Cole?” Madi looked at him with a raise eyebrow.   
  
“I-I-I…” Cole stuttered, the frustration leaving his body.   
  
“Tell me what,” She spoke through her teeth as she glared at him.   
  
“I don’t think I’m ready to be a dad,” he admitted quietly as he stared at the road.   
  
“I’m due in 7 weeks,” She breathed out as she felt tears start to sting her eyes. “How long have you felt like this? Why didn’t you talk to me about this?”   
  
“What was I supposed to say? I can’t do this, I thought I could but I can’t,” He stuttered as he stared at the road as he drove into town. “I can’t be a dad.”   
  
“Why didn’t you talk to me earlier?” She felt her anxiety squeeze her chest.   
  
“I can’t do this, Madi, I’m not ready,” he started to grip the steering hard again.   
  
“Drop me at my parents’ place,” She spoke firmly as she wiped her eyes.   
  
“Madi, please,” He reached out to take her hand but she jerked her hand away from him.   
  
“Drop me at my parents’ house, Cole,” she shifted uncomfortably as she wiped her eyes again.   
  
Cole drove silently to Clarke and Bellamy’s house, as soon as he pulled up, Madi got out of the car as quickly as she could. Theo was working on his bike inside the open garage and Madi was thankful she could use his help to get away from Cole as soon as she could.   
  
“Madi!” Theo grinned as he stood up to greet his sister. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”   
  
“Can you help me with my bags?” Madi spoke quickly as her eyes pleading with her brother.   
  
Theo complied immediately as Cole got out of the car and walked over to Madi quickly.   
  
“Madi, please,” Cole grabbed her hands but she jerked away again.   
  
“No,” Madi shook her head and stepped back. “I asked over and over again. You should’ve told me, you should have just told me,” Madi’s tears fell down her cheeks. “Just go,” she shook her head and walked towards the house.   
  
“Madi!” Cole went to grab her arm to stop her but Theo stepped in the way.   
  
“Leave,” Theo growled loudly, blocking Cole from his sister.   
  
Madi got inside the house and sank down on the couch. She was shaking and the Braxton hicks were getting stronger. She tried her best to calm her breathing.   
  
“He’s gone,” Theo reassured as he closed the front door. “Mom and Dad are shopping with the twins, they should be back later.”   
  
“Thanks Theo,” Madi breathed out as she stood up. “I’m going to go to bed,” she mumbled in a defeated voice.   
  
“Madi,” Theo’s voice softened as he walked over to her. “What’s going on?”   
  
“Cole has decided that he can’t be her dad,” Madi choked out as she covered her face. “I-I-I just need to figure this out.”   
  
Madi shook her head and walked upstairs numbly.   
  
———— ———— ————   
  
Madi woke up to someone coming into her room, it was getting dark outside. Concern was plastered all over her mother’s face as she walked into her room.   
  
“Madi?” Clarke’s voice was quiet as she sat on the edge of the bed.   
  
“Mom,” Madi forced herself to sit up as fresh tears filled her eyes.   
  
“Are you okay?” Clarke asked quietly as she brushed the hair out of her daughter’s face.   
  
“I don’t know what to do,” Madi confessed quietly as she wiped her eyes.   
  
“We’ll figure it out,” Clarke reassured quietly as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. “You’re home with your family, we’ll help you.”   
  
“He should’ve told me that he didn’t want this,” Madi broke down into tears as she cried into her mother’s chest. “I asked him so many times.”   
  
“I know baby girl,” Clarke soothes quietly as she stroked her daughter’s head gently.   
  
Madi was thankful to have her mom to comfort her. She cried into her mother’s chest for the longest time until her mother pulled away.   
  
“Come on, Baby girl,” Clarke got up and coached her daughter to follow suit. “We need to get you something to eat.”   
  
“I’m not hungry,” Madi shook her head as she sat on the edge of the bed.   
  
“You might not be but your baby is,” Clarke offered her daughter a hand to get up.   
  
Madi silently followed her mother downstairs where her Dad was finishing up making dinner. Clarke gave her husband a knowing look before he let out a long breath and pulled Madi into a tight hug.   
  
“Come on, I made your favourite,” Bellamy pulled back and handed Madi a plate of risotto.   
  
“Thanks dad,” Madi mumbled and sat down at the table quietly.   
  
There was awkward quiet chatter at dinner between her family. All Madi wanted to do was curl up into bed and sleep this bad dream away.   
  
Madi hissed loudly as a braxton hicks washed over her. This was the worst one she had felt yet.   
  
“Madi?” Clarke frowned deeply as she got up from her seat.   
  
“No, I’m fine,” Madi shook her head firmly, her face still scrunched up in pain.   
  
“We should get you checked out,” Clarke pushed as she walked over to her daughter.   
  
“I just need to get some rest,” Madi whispered as the pain passed.   
  
She slowly stood up and that’s when she felt the warm liquid start to run down her leg. Fear filled her as she looked at her mother.   
  
“Mom,” she sobbed terrified.   
  
“Bell, help me get Madi to the car,” Clarke ordered as she looked at her older children. “Theo, get Madi’s hospital bag now.”   
  
Theo and Bellamy immediately jumped into action. Theo sprinted upstairs while Bellamy scooped Madi up carefully. Minerva grabbed their coats from the rack and followed her parents outside.   
  
Madi felt her body shake with fear as her father put her into the passenger seat of her mother’s car.   
  
“It’s okay, we’ve got you,” Bellamy whispered as he cupped his daughter’s cheek before doing her seatbelt up.   
  
“I’m scared,” Madi sobbed quietly.   
  
“It’s all going to be okay,” Bellamy pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead before closing the door. “I’ll stay with the kids.”   
  
Clarke nodded and got into the drivers seat as Theo threw Madi’s bag into the back seat.   
  
“Just keep breathing Madi,” Clarke reassured as she backed out of the driveway.   
  
Clarke pressed Raven’s contact on the car’s hands free system as she started to drive towards the hospital.   
  
“What did you forget this time Clarke?” Raven answered with a quiet laugh.   
  
“Madi’s in labor and she really needs her Aunties,” Clarke spoke in a eerily calm voice.   
  
Madi groaned loudly as a contraction hit her.   
  
“I’ll call Harper and O,” Raven spoke quietly before hanging up.   
  
“Just breathe baby girl,” Clarke reassured as she got closer to the hospital.   
  
Madi was terrified, it was too early and there were a lot of risks. She could lose the baby.   
  
The hospital wasted no time getting her into a delivery room, the staff seemed to be working at double time getting a monitor on Madi’s bump.   
  
“Alright this baby is coming, there’s no stopping it,” The midwife spoke quickly as she examined Madi.   
  
“Is she going to be okay?” Madi asked with a sob.   
  
“You’re right on 33 weeks, sweetheart, your little girl will be okay, she’ll just need some help,” the midwife spoke gently and gave Madi’s hand a gentle squeeze.   
  
“Raven and O are here,” Clarke spoke quietly as she stroked Madi’s hair.   
  
“Mom, I need to push,” Madi groaned as Raven and Octavia were ushered into the room.   
  
“Not yet Sweetheart,” The midwife shook her head.   
  
Nyko walked into the room quickly in full scrubs.   
  
“Get the NICU nurse on standby,” Nyko ordered. “Alright Madi, this is sooner than we planned but we’ve got this. When you get the next contraction, I need you to push.”   
  
“You’ve got this, Mads,” Raven reassured as she held Madi’s hand and kissed her forehead.   
  
Madi pushed as hard as she could as soon as the next contraction hit. It was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life, she squeezed Clarke and Raven’s hands.   
  
“I can’t,” Madi fell back sobbing, the pain was too much.   
  
“Madi, listen to me, you have to do this,” Octavia spoke firmly as she held Madi’s leg. “Cora needs you to do this so she can get the help she needs.”   
  
Madi focused her mind on Cora, she had to make sure that her little girl was okay. She knew that even without Cole she wasn’t alone, she had her family and she had Cora.   
  
Three more rounds of pushing was all it took for the little premature baby to be born. Her cries were so soft they barely sounded like a whimper.   
  
Nyko gently laid the baby on Madi’s chest as the nurses got the premature crib ready.   
  
“Hi baby girl,” Madi breathed out and kissed the top of the baby’s head carefully.   
  
“I need to take her now,” the nurse spoke quietly as she lifted the tiny baby off Madi’s chest.   
  
———- ———- ———- ———-   
  
It had been almost four hours since Madi had given birth and all she wanted to do was to see her baby. The nurses had taken the baby away to the NICU to get her the care she needed.   
  
“How are you feeling baby girl?” Clarke asked quietly as she stroked Madi’s hair.   
  
“I’m okay,” Madi mumbled with a yawn.   
  
“It’s midnight,” Raven grinned widely as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Merry Christmas,” she grinned and kissed Madi’s head gently.   
  
“Merry Christmas,” Madi gave Raven a small smile. “You guys should head home.”   
  
“We’ll head home soon,” Octavia smiles slowly.   
  
“You should get some sleep, baby girl,” Clarke spoke quietly as she tucked Madi’s blanket into her sides more.   
  
“I want to go see her,” Madi groaned as she sat up.   
  
“I’ll go ask the nurse,” Octavia smiles as she walked out slowly.   
  
“Do you have my phone?” Madi looked at her mother slowly and watched her pull it out of her bag.   
  
Madi sighed as she turned her phone on, the messages started to flood in as soon as it was turned on.   
  
Ethan 7:45 pm: Mads, what the hell is going on?   
  
Ethan 8:04 pm: Are you okay? Can you just call or text us?   
  
Rachel 8:15 pm: Madi, call me okay.   
  
There were fifteen more messages from them worried about her. When her phone started to ring and Cole’s name flash on the screen, she dropped her phone on the bed. Clarke went to reach for the phone.   
  
“Don’t answer it,” Madi spoke quickly and grabbed the phone, pressing ignore on the call.   
  
Octavia came back into the room with a wheelchair and a big grin on her face. Clarke and Raven immediately started to help Madi into the wheelchair.   
  
“Let’s go see your Christmas baby,” Octavia spoke excitedly as she started to push Madi out of her room.   
  
Madi remained quiet as her mother and Aunts spoke quietly as they made their way to the NICU. Madi was tired but she wanted to see her baby, everything in her life had been turned upside down in less than 24 hours.   
  
Octavia wheeled Madi over to the premature crib that held her tiny little girl, the tiny baby had a tube in her nose and monitor cables all over her tiny body. Madi put her hand on the clear casing that separated them.   
  
“She’s doing really well,” The nurse spoke in a soft voice as she stood by the baby’s crib. “You’ll be able to hold her tomorrow for a little bit.”   
  
“I’d like that,” Madi whispered, her eyes not leaving her baby.   
  
“Have you got a name for her?” the nurse asked quietly.   
  
“Cora,” Madi’s voice broke slightly as she spoke and her mother squeezed her shoulder.   
  
“You both need to get some rest,” the nurse looked at Clarke who just nodded slowly.   
  
“Come on baby girl, we’ll come see her in the morning,” Clarke kissed the top of Madi’s head before she started to wheel Madi out of the NICU.   
  
———- ———- ———- ———-   
  
Madi woke up to her phone ringing loudly, a loud groan left her lips as she saw Rachel’s name flash on her screen.   
  
“Hello?” Madi answered with a groan as she forced herself to sit up.   
  
“Madi? Are you okay?” Rachel was in a panic as she spoke. “Cole messaged us saying that you weren’t answering him after you two got into a fight.”   
  
“I’m okay,” Madi sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.   
  
“What’s going on?” Rachel’s voice was still thick with worry.   
  
“Cole has decided that he can’t be a dad,” Madi tried to bite back tears as she ran her hand through her hair.   
  
“Shit Mads, are you okay?” Rachel’s voice softened.   
  
“Yeah,” Madi tried to force herself to stay strong. “Cora was born last night.”   
  
“But it’s so soon,” the panic in Rachel’s voice returned and Madi could hear her pace. “Is she okay?”   
  
“She’s fine, she’s in the NICU,” Madi swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Go enjoy your christmas, I’ll talk to you later.”   
  
Madi hung up with a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck. The nurse came in quickly after she hung up and went through how to pump to make her milk come in. Madi felt a little overwhelmed with all of the information the nurse was giving her but the nurse answered all of Madi’s questions.   
  
Madi shouldn’t have been surprised when Rachel and Ethan turned up at her hospital room as she got ready to go see Cora.   
  
“What the fuck happened?” Ethan snapped loudly as he crossed his arms, staring at Madi.   
  
“Cole decided he doesn’t want to be a dad,” Madi sighed and wiped the fresh tears from her eyes. “I don’t really want to talk about it. I’ve had a really fucked up 24 hours.”   
  
“What about Cora?” Rachel asked in a soft voice as she pulled Madi into a tight hug.   
  
“She’s doing well,” Madi mumbled and pulled away from the hug. “I was on my way down to the NICU to go see her, do you want to come see her?”   
  
Rachel and Ethan nodded slowly, both quiet as they walked down to the NICU with Madi. The couple remained quiet as they followed Madi over to Cora’s crib.   
  
“She’s so tiny,” Rachel stared down at the tiny baby with a concerned look on her face.   
  
“She weighs a little over three pounds,” Madi spoke quietly as the nurse opened the window of the crib.   
  
“Here, you can touch her,” the nurse smiled at Madi.   
  
With extreme care, Madi gently stroked the baby’s head with a small smile. The little baby stretched with a gassy smile on her face.   
  
“She’s really strong, I’m impressed with how well she is doing,” the nurse grinned widely as she watched the baby.   
  
“She looks like a doll,” Ethan commented quietly, his eyes glued on the tiny baby.   
  
“What are you going to do?” Rachel asked Madi as she looked at her friend.   
  
“Move in with my parents,” Madi spoke quietly as she continued to stroke her daughter’s head. “Raise my daughter.”   
  
“What about with Cole?” Ethan asked quietly.   
  
“My daughter is in the NICU, she’s my priority,” Madi spoke firmly as she kept her eyes on Cora. “Cora will always be my first priority.”   
  
“He’s just confused,” Ethan sighed quietly. “He’ll come around.”   
  
“No he won’t, he doesn’t want this,” Madi shook her head firmly. “I can’t play games like this, I never forced him into any of this,” she looked at Ethan slowly, tearing her eyes away from her daughter. “We’re done, Ethan, we’re not going back and forth. It’s over.”   
  
Madi turned her attention back to her daughter, the small fragile baby needed to be her focus. Getting her healthy and keeping her happy was her only priority. Going back and forth with Cole was the last thing she wanted to do.   
  
Her relationship with Cole was over and it was going to stay that way. This had been a hell year for her. She had done things that she would’ve never done, she experienced things that she never thought she would’ve.   
  
———- ———- ———- ———-   
  
Madi felt her eyes drift closed as she sat in the chair next to Cora’s crib, she had been by her side the majority of the day. She pumped every few hours to try and make her milk come in. Cora’s tests were conducted under Madi’s careful gaze, the one that made her the most nervous was the hearing test but they couldn’t get an accurate test until the baby was older. Cora’s nurse encouraged Madi to talk to Cora and she spent the day talking to the tiny baby about how much she loved her, stories from her childhood and about her family.   
  
Madi jumped when someone put a hand on her shoulder, she relaxed when she saw that it was Aurora and Tybe.   
  
“Sorry sweetheart, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Aurora spoke in a quiet voice as she rubbed her granddaughter’s back.   
  
“I must’ve drifted off,” Madi sighed and rubbed her eyes.   
  
“Why don’t I take you back to your room?” Tybe suggested quietly as he stepped forward.   
  
“I don’t want to leave her,” Madi shook her head and looked at the tiny baby.   
  
“I’ll stay with her while you get some rest,” Aurora offered quietly and stoked her granddaughter’s hair gently. “I won’t leave her side, I promise.”   
  
There was a long silence as Madi contemplated leaving her daughter’s side, she looked between her daughter and her grandmother.   
  
“Thank you Nan,” Madi stood up and hugged Aurora tightly.   
  
“Get some rest okay?” Aurora cupped Madi’s cheek and she nodded slowly.   
  
Madi and Tybe walked back to her room in a comfortable silence, she was tired and didn’t feel up to talking. Tybe kept his arm around her waist to keep her steady as they walked. Her body was tried and weak from everything that had happened. Tybe helped her back into her bed and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading  
Please let me know what you think!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Here's the new chapter!  
Enjoy!

Three days old and Cora already seemed to be making leaps in her development, she had already gained two ounces since she was born. Nyko and the nurses were impressed by Cora every day. Madi was allowed to hold Cora more each day and she loved her time with her little girl. Madi dreaded the day she was going to be discharged from the hospital because she knew Cora would still be there. 

Madi sighed quietly as she put the lids on the bottles of milk she just pumped, her supply was getting better each time she pumped. She adjusted her shirt as the nurse walked in slowly. 

“How much did you get this time?” The nurse asked quietly. 

“An ounce and a quarter,” Madi handed the nurse the bottles. 

“You’ve almost doubled from yesterday,” the nurse smiled widely. “Someone is waiting outside to see you. Want me to send them in?” 

“Yeah sure,” Madi nodded slowly and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. 

Madi frowned deeply as Cole walked into the room with his hands shoved into his pockets. His eyes lingered on her stomach and a frown started to form on his face. 

“The baby?” Cole’s voice was quiet as he looked up at her eyes now. 

“MY daughter is in the NICU,” Madi crossed her arms slowly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“When was she born? Is she okay?” Cole looked her slowly as he stepped closer to her. 

“Three days ago and she’s okay,” she got off the bed and moved away from him again. “You should go, Cole.” 

“Madi, I’m sorry, I love you,” He stepped closer to her and reached out to her but she put her hand up to stop him. 

“We’re done, Cole,” she looked at him seriously. “I’m not going back and forth with you, it’s unhealthy and I can’t have my daughter around that.” 

“Madi, please,” his eyes became misty as he looked at her. 

“No,” she shook her head firmly. “You should go,” she crossed her arms as she shifted uncomfortably. 

“Can I meet her?” He asked quietly as he watched her carefully. 

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she pulled her hair up into a bun as she slipped past him to get her robe. “Cole, you decided you don’t want to be her father. Murphy, Raven and Jasper are going to pack up mine and Cora’s things from the apartment while you’re away.” 

“Can we talk about this please?” he pleaded as he stepped closer to her. 

"Talk about what?" she shrugged as she pulled her robe on. 

"Us, I don't want us to break up," He stepped even closer to her but she shot him a look making him step back. 

"You made this decision when I had to find out that you didn't want to be her father through messages from Jade," She crossed her arms as she stared at him. "You could've just told me that you didn't want this. I asked you so many times if you wanted this. You got angry with me when I asked," she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "My focus needs to be on my daughter, not this, not us. This is done, Cole." 

"Madi," He stepped forward to touch her but she walked out of the room quickly. 

\----------------------- --------------------- 

  
Two weeks into January, Cora was excelling in her development, she was gaining weight, eating and breathing by herself. Madi had been discharged a week after her birth but was at the hospital almost constantly. She couldn't believe how strong and healthy her three-week-old baby was. Murphy, Raven and Jasper had packed up all of hers and Cora's belongings from the apartment. Her Aunts had set up all of the baby's stuff in her room at her parents. 

Cora yawned and stretched as Madi changed her diaper, she was no longer connected to cables. Cora's nurse smiled as she walked over to the changing table. 

"We're going to miss having her around, she's such a happy baby," the nurse beamed as she looked down at Cora. 

"I still can't believe that I get to take her home, Nyko expected her to need a least another two weeks," Madi smiled as she put a new onesie on Cora. 

"She's our little overachiever," the nurse laughed as she stroked Cora's head. "She beat all of our weight gain records, 8 ounces in one day. I can't believe she's gone from 3 pounds to 5 pounds in just three weeks." 

"She likes to eat," Madi laughed and let the nurse pick up the baby for one last cuddle. "I'll bring her in for visits when we come for her check-ups." 

"We'll all love to see her," the nurse grinned widely and handed Cora to Madi. "Time for Mommy to get you home." 

"Come on, Cory, Poppy and Nanna are waiting outside to take you home," she grinned and kissed the baby's head. 

To say Madi was terrified of bringing Cora home was an understatement, she was not just bringing a baby home, she was bringing home a baby that was still not 100% healthy. Cora still had a long way to go to being a normal baby. Madi was going to have to have to set alarms throughout the day and night to make sure she was feeding Cora at the right times. 

Her parents met her at the entrance of the hospital and helped her get the small baby into her car seat. The drive home was quiet and her mother took Cora inside as soon as they got to the house. Madi’s alarm went off to feed Cora as soon as they got inside the house. 

“I’ll feed her,” Clarke piped up with a grin. 

“I’ll go make her a bottle,” Madi smiled as she went into the kitchen to prep a bottle of the breast milk she already had in the freezer. 

Within a few minutes, she gave her mother the bottle and Clarke happily started to feed Cora. 

“I’m going to head upstairs to pump, can you let me know how much she has and when she’s done?” Madi asked quietly as she watched her mother feed her daughter. 

“Yeah,” Clarke smiled up at her daughter. 

Madi headed to her room and started to pump almost immediately. 

\----------------------- --------------------- 

It was hard but Madi was getting used to it, she was in the routine of waking up every two hours to feed Cora the small amount her stomach could handle. Cora was still a tiny baby despite being three months old. When Cole came back from his trip, Madi had to change her number. He kept calling her and trying to get her to talk to him but she didn’t want to hear any of it. 

Madi yawned as she sat up in her bed feeding Cora, it was almost 2 am and she was tired after not sleeping the night before. She wasn’t too surprised when Rachel called her, she knew Cora’s feeding schedule and knew Madi would be up. They spoke almost every day, especially when she was studying late. 

“How’s my little bean today?” Rachel asked as soon as Madi answered. 

“She’s been grumpy today, she’s not feeling the best,” Madi yawned as she spoke. 

“Is everything okay with her?” Rachel’s voice grew concerned as she started to pace. 

“She has an upset stomach, Nyko things its something I’ve eaten that doesn’t agree with her but she’ll be fine, just needs to ride it out,” Madi stroked Cora’s hair gently. 

“Then back on the weight gain train?” Rachel was nervous and it was obvious in her voice. 

“What’s going on?” Madi frowned slowly as she readjusted Cora gently. 

“You’re not going to like it,” Rachel’s nerves were getting worse and Madi could tell. 

“What?” Madi frown deepened as she picked up her phone. 

“It’s about Cole, he’s been sleeping with Jade since we moved into this apartment,” Rachel’s voice was filled with dread as she spoke. 

“Of course, he was,” Madi let out a hurt sigh and ran her hand through her hair. 

“Are you okay?” Rachel sighed defeated, she didn’t want to hurt Madi but she felt like Madi had a right to know. 

“I mean I shouldn’t be surprised he cheated on Katie with me,” Madi sighed quietly, she couldn’t lie, it still hurt like hell. 

“Madi, I’m sorry,” Rachel spoke softly. 

“Don’t be, I needed to hear it,” Madi let out a shaky breath, her eyes on her daughter. 

"I'm sorry I thought you should know," Rachel sighed and she stopped pacing. 

"I think this is what I needed to hear," Madi left out a long breath as Cora started to fuss, Madi changed the side Cora was feeding on. 

"Ethan didn't want me to tell you, he didn't want you to be hurt anymore," Rachel groaned quietly. "We got into a huge fight about it." 

"Shit, Rach, are you okay?" Madi ran her hand through her hair. 

"Yeah, I can't go home right now," Rachel let out a quiet sob as she started to cry quietly. 

"Rach,” Madi sighed quietly and checked on Cora. “Do you want to come down and stay with me for a few days?” 

“What about your parents?” Rachel sighed quietly. 

“They’ll be more than happy for you to come to stay, they’re out of town checking colleges with Mini and Theo,” Madi laid the now sleeping baby on the bed. “The twins are with my grandparents, so it’s just me and Cory.” 

“Thank you,” Rachel let out a sob. “I’ll be there in a few hours.” 

“I’ll be up,” Madi spoke softly before Rachel hung up. 

  
\----------------------- --------------------- 

  
Rachel had collapsed into bed as soon as she arrived, it was after 5 am and she was exhausted. Madi pulled the blanket over Rachel before she headed back to her room to feed Cora. 

Madi was halfway through feeding Cora when Ethan called her, she knew he must’ve been worried sick about Rachel. 

“Mads, I’m sorry if I woke you up,” Ethan was in a panic and it was clear in his voice. 

“It’s okay, I’m feeding Cory,” Madi spoke softly as she stroked Cora’s head. 

“Have you heard from Rachel?” His voice broke as he tried to stop himself from crying. “We got into a fight and she left but she never came home.” 

“She’s okay, she’s here,” she spoke quietly and she heard him relax instantly. 

“It was a stupid fight,” he sighed before groaning loudly. “I just didn’t want you to hurt anymore.” 

“I needed to hear it, Ethan,” She sighed quietly and ran her hand through her hair. “I’m not even sure he ever loved me,” She took a deep breath. “Now I need to just focus on Cory and making sure she’s healthy.” 

“What do I do?” he sighed defeated. 

“Apologize, come down, you guys can stay here for a few days,” She spoke quietly and moved to burp Cora. 

“Thank you,” he hung up as she yawned quietly. 

  
\----------------------- --------------------- 

  
Madi yawned as she made Rachel breakfast, she was tired, she had barely slept. Her mind kept going over everything and asking questions. She kept trying to pinpoint when things changed with her and Cole. She kept asking herself if Cole ever really loved her. Her mind didn’t stop with the questions and the what-ifs. 

Rachel sat at one of the counter stools as she held Cora, cooing down at the small baby. 

“She has the cutest smile,” Rachel gushed as she smiled down at the paper. 

“It’s so much cuter at 4 in the morning when she’s refusing to sleep and just smiling at you,” Madi gave Rachel a sarcastic grin as she started to serve up breakfast. 

“Do you like keeping mommy up?” Rachel grinned down at the baby, who gurgled happily. “I thought she’d sleep longer now.” 

“She’s a premature baby, she needs extra feedings to gain weight,” Madi explained quietly. “She needs to hit a few more milestones before we can ease off on the night time feedings.” 

“But she’s healthy right?” Rachel frowned as she was filled with concern. 

“She’s small but healthy, I just need to make her a chubby baby,” Madi served up three plates for breakfast. 

“Who’s the third plate for?” Rachel frowned slowly. 

Madi nodded her head to behind Rachel where Ethan was standing there nervously. 

“Rach, I’m sorry,” Ethan looked upset as he stepped closer to Rachel. “I was wrong and it was a stupid fight.” 

Rachel didn’t say anything, she just got up and hugged Ethan while still holding Cora in her arms. They only pulled apart when the baby made a quiet whimper. 

“Let’s not crush my daughter,” Madi laughed quietly as she walked over to take Cora out of Rachel’s arms. “Hey baby girl,” she smiled and kissed Cora’s forehead. 

Ethan held Rachel close and whispered in her ear before he pulled back looking relaxed. 

“Come on, let's eat,” Rachel smiled up at Ethan. 

The couple relaxed instantly and grabbed their plates. Their worries seemed to just fall off their shoulders as they sat down. It was clear how much they care about each other. 

Madi couldn’t help but feel the ache in her chest grow as she watched Rachel and Ethan. They were happy and in love, they fought but easily made up, they were perfect for each other. Madi on the other hand was a single mother with a horrible past with boyfriends. Maybe she would find someone who wouldn’t lie or cheat on her but right now her focus needed to be Cora. 

“Are you okay Mads?” Ethan’s voice broke Madi out of her thoughts as she ate with one hand while rocking Cora with the other. 

“Yeah,” Madi nodded with a smile as she adjusted Cora. 

“Are you sure?” Rachel frowned as she watched Madi carefully. 

“Yeah,” Madi gave her friends a reassuring smile. 

Ethan and Rachel didn’t seem too convinced but they left it alone. 

\----------------------- --------------------- 

Madi yawned as she walked downstairs after feeding Cora and pumping. She needed to put the milk in the freezer and get back to bed. It was late and she knew it was going to be a long night, Cora was fussy and it took a long time for her to go back to sleep. 

Madi sighed as she walked out of the kitchen when her phone started to ring. It was a blocked number but she assumed it was from the bar, knowing they would call her if anything happened while her mom was out of town. 

“Hello?” Madi tried to stifle the yawn that was escaping her lips. 

“Madi,” The Male voice breathed out and it sent a shiver down her spine, it was Cole. 

“How did you get this number?” She felt herself become more awake as the anxiety-filled her chest. 

“I need to see you,” his voice had a tone of desperation to it but it just sent her more anxiety to her chest. “I miss you. I love you.” 

“I don’t want to hear it, Cole,” she sighed loudly as she started to pace the length of the entryway. 

“I just want to talk, Madi,” he snapped with a loud growl. 

“I don’t want to talk, Cole,” she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t want anything to do with you, that’s why I changed my number.” 

“So I can’t change my mind about being the father to a kid that isn’t even mine?” He scoffed loudly, the anger in his voice growing. “You can’t make me be her father.” 

“I never made you do anything!” She snapped loudly, the anxiety in her chest turning into anger. 

“You made me get the baby stuff, you made me get all of the daddy’s little girl stuff,” he snapped screaming into the phone. 

“I didn’t make you do that!” she shouted frustrated, the anger within her growing the longer she spoke to him. “I told you that you didn’t have to do this but you snapped at me about doubting you.” 

“I told you what you wanted to hear!” he screamed as he started to stomp as he paced. 

“Don’t contact me, I’m done with you and I want nothing to do with you,” she hung up the phone as anger pulsed through her. 

Ethan and Rachel came down the stairs with worried looks on their faces as Madi started to cry angry tears. 

“Are you okay?” Rachel asked quietly as she pulled Madi into a tight hug. 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Madi pulled away from the hug immediately and wiped her eyes. 

“Madi, you’re not,” Rachel spoke quietly as loud cries started to pierce the air. 

“I’m fine, seriously,” Madi assured as she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m over all of this.” 

Madi walked upstairs quickly to find Cora crying in her crib. She picked up the baby immediately and started to calm the baby. Madi wasn’t going to let Cole control her feelings or her life anymore. She had to be strong for her little girl. This little defenceless baby relied on her so much and Madi was going to make sure that Cora had everything she needed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
I hope you like this chapter and this little jump

Having an active toddler running around the house kept Madi on her toes. Cora was a healthy and active three year old. Madi’s life had changed a lot since Cora’s birth, she had finished her degree online and moved into her mom’s old house. She worked between her paintings and her Mom’s bar to provide for herself and Cora. She was worried that Theo would be upset about her moving into his birth father’s house but he assured her that he wanted her to move into there. Theo had moved to California for college with Taylor while Minerva and Jordon went to college in Chicago. Madi was happy with the life she had with her daughter. She hadn’t seen Cole since he came to the hospital when Cora was 3 days old. Jane and Henry would see Cora every now and again.   
  
Madi fixed Cora’s hair as she ate her breakfast. Cora had long wavy blonde hair that always seemed to end up messed up.   
  
“Mommy?” Cora asked quietly as she looked up at Madi.   
  
“Yeah, Cory?” Madi kisses the top of her head gently.   
  
“Ethy and Rachy coming?” The toddler asked hopefully.   
  
“Yeah they’re coming to stay with us for a few weeks,” Madi smiled as she sat down.   
  
“Yes!” The toddler cheered with a wide grin.   
  
Madi laughed quietly and kissed Cora’s head gently. The front door opened and the toddler scrambled out of her seat at the table to run to the door.   
  
“Cory!” Rachel beamed as she scooped up the toddler kissing her cheek. “You’re getting too big!”   
  
“Rachy!” The toddler squealed happily as she wrapped her arms around Rachel’s neck.   
  
“She’s missed you,” Madi smiled as she walked into the entryway.   
  
“She’s gotten so big,” Ethan beamed widely as he hugged Madi quickly.   
  
Rachel handed Cora to Ethan so she could hug Madi.   
  
“It’s been too long,” Rachel spoke quietly as she hugged Madi.   
  
“It has,” Madi pulled back with a smile. “She’s been asking about you two all day.”   
  
“Have you now?” Ethan laughed and tickled the toddler.   
  
“Cory, let Rachy and Ethy take their bags upstairs,” Madi took the toddler back and kissed her head gently.   
  
“We’ll be back down in a second,” Rachel assured the toddler as they started to walk upstairs slowly.   
  
  
  
\---------------------------   
  
  
Madi sat in the dining room eating lunch with Cora, Rachel and Ethan. Cora insisted on sitting on Ethan’s lap during lunch. Octavia and Ash came into the house while they were still eating.   
  
“Hey O,” Madi smiled slowly as Ash ran over to Madi. “Hi buddy,” she beamed and kissed the Toddler’s head.   
  
“So what are you guys going to get up to?” Octavia sat next to Rachel with a cup of coffee.   
  
“Trying to convince Madi to come to a party at the lake this afternoon,” Rachel spoke up and looked at Octavia with a smirk.   
  
“Is that so?” Octavia smirked at looked at her niece.   
  
“She won’t come,” Ethan shook his head. “Cory, Mommy is no fun.”   
  
“Party pooper,” Cora giggled and stuck her tongue out at Madi.   
  
“Who taught you that?” Madi raised an eyebrow at her daughter.   
  
Octavia stood up suddenly and smirked at her niece.   
  
“Come on, Cory,” Octavia walked over to Cora slowly. “You’re going to have a sleepover with Ash, we’ll go get ice cream.”   
  
“Yeah!” Cora squealed happily and got off Ethan’s lap.   
  
“O,” Madi started to protest but Octavia shook her head.   
  
“Madi, go and enjoy, seriously,” Octavia smiled and hugged her niece. “Go enjoy a night off.”   
  
  
\------------------------   
  
  
Madi didn’t go out too often, maybe once every six months. She couldn’t lie about the guilty feeling that engulfed her whenever she asked someone to babysit Cora. Her parents took Cora on the nights that she worked at the bar, she didn’t have to ask her parents to do this. They would just come and pick her up and take her for the night. On weekdays, Cora would go to daycare and she absolutely loved it, she loved being around other people.   
  
Madi got out of the uber with Ethan and Rachel at the lake. Rachel made Madi wear a pair of denim shorts and a razorback tank top with her bikini on underneath.   
  
“Drinks?” Ethan asked them with a raised eyebrow.   
  
“I’ll have a white claw and Madi will have a whiskey,” Rachel smirked and linked arms with Madi.   
  
“No, I’ll have a white claw too,” Madi laughed as she shook her head. “I’m a lightweight.”   
  
Ethan laughed as he walked towards the cooler that was by one of the big trees. Madi and Rachel went to sit on one of the logs.   
  
“I’m so happy you’ve come out,” Rachel beamed widely.   
  
“It feels weird being out,” Madi admitted quietly as Ethan come back with their drinks.   
  
“You deserve a night out,” Ethan grinned as he handed Madi a drink. “When was the last time you went to a party?”   
  
“Last summer,” Madi rubbed the back of her neck before opening her drink.   
  
“Drink up because you deserve to party,” Rachel smiled widely.   
  
After an hour, Madi separated from Rachel and Ethan as they went off to talk to some of their friends. She made her way to the cooler to get another drink but she literally ran into someone.   
  
“Madi?” a familiar voice made Madi look up to see someone she hadn’t seen in over three years.   
  
“Cole? Hi,” Madi stuttered awkwardly.   
  
He had barely changed in three years, he still looked the same as he did that day in the hospital. Madi on the other hand felt like she had changed a lot, her figure had become curvier since having Cora and she had cut her hair so it just came past her shoulders.   
  
“How are you?” Cole asked quietly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts.   
  
“I’m good,” Madi shifted uncomfortably, it was weird.   
  
“Cora?” his voice had dropped in volume as he looked down.   
  
“She’s good, she’ll be four soon,” she rubbed the back of her neck slowly.   
  
“She’s healthy?” he looked up at her slowly.   
  
“Yeah, she’s a healthy and happy toddler,” she ran a hand through her hair.   
  
She jumped when she felt arms snake around her waist and a kiss was planted on her cheek.   
  
“Did I scare you?” the male that had wrapped his arms around Madi chuckled and Cole looked on uncomfortably.   
  
“Shit River,” Madi breathed out as she relaxed.   
  
“Sorry baby,” River planted another kiss on Madi’s cheek before he held a hand out to Cole. “Hi, I’m River, Madi’s boyfriend.” 

  
“Cole,” Cole shook River’s hand stiffy. “It was nice to see you Madi,” he walked away quickly, making a beeline for Ethan and Rachel.   
  
“So that was the Cole,” River chuckled as he turned to Madi with a small smirk.   
  
“Yeah, that was weird,” Madi frowned and ran her hand through her hair. “I thought you weren’t going to be back until next week.”   
  
“Well, I missed you and Cory,” River stepped forward and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Six weeks on the road away from you and Cory was too long. The last venue had a pipe burst so the show got cancelled.”   
  
River smiled as he leant down giving her a gentle kiss.   
  
“I missed you too,” she mumbled against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his waist.   
  
“Cory called me off O’s phone and O told me you were out here,” He stroked her cheek gently with a smile.   
  
“She’s missed you,” she kissed him again gently.   
  
“Well, daddy’s home now,” He smirked slowly. “But right now, let’s get a drink.”   
  
Madi smirked and continued to walk to the cooler with River’s arm around her shoulders. Madi could hear Cole’s conversation with Rachel and Ethan.   
  
“How long have they been dating?” Cole hissed loudly.   
  
“Two and a half years?” Ethan spoke calmly.   
  
“Yeah, they met when Cora was six months old and started dating when Cora was a year old,” Rachel spoke quietly as she sighed quietly.   
  
“And she lets him around Cora?” Cole scoffed jealously. “He’s covered in tattoos.”   
  
“He’s a drummer in a band, they’ve just finished a tour,” Ethan explained, ignoring Cole’s jealousy. “His band is really popular.”   
  
“Babe?” River’s voice made her stop eavesdropping.   
  
“Yeah,” Madi smiled at him as she shoved her hands in her back pockets.   
  
“You look so good,” River smirked and pulled her even closer.   
  
Madi laughed quietly and kissed him slowly. River had changed her life so much. Madi had been beyond nervous to let someone else into her life after what happened with Cole but River had made her feel so comfortable. He made her relax and open up.   
  
“I’m happy to be back with my girls,” River smiled as he pulled away slowly.   
  
  
\----------------------   
  
  
It was getting dark and the bonfires were lit but the party was still going strong. Madi sat with Rachel near the bonfire while River was standing nearby with Ethan, talking about his bands latest tour.   
  
“So you and Madi huh?” Cole asked River as he walked over to him.   
  
  
  
“Is he serious?” Madi hissed at Rachel and rubbed her forehead.   
  
“Yeah, for almost three years now,” River chuckled and took a sip of his beer.   
  
“What do you do?” Cole pressed as which made Madi roll her eyes.   
  
“I’m in a band, we just finished a six-week tour but I’m happy to be home with my girls now,” the smile on River’s face was obvious in his voice.   
  
“Your girls?” Cole questioned.   
  
“My girlfriend and my daughter,” River answered without skipping a beat.   
  
“She’s not your daughter,” Cole growled under his breath.   
  
“Well she sure as hell isn’t yours,” River growled loudly as he narrowed his eyes at Cole.   
  
Cole shoved River back, making River stumble back with a loud growl. River immediately stepped forward until he was toe to toe with Cole. Cole growled loudly as he pushed River again.   
  
Madi got up and put herself between Cole and River, she glared daggers at Cole.   
  
“Enough,” Madi growled loudly as her glare towards Cole intensified. “Walk away Cole.”   
  
Cole growled as he walked away, stumbling slightly. Madi turned to River slowly and rubbed her forehead.   
  
“I’m sorry,” Madi sighed loudly and River pulled her into a hug.   
  
“Want to get your stuff and we’ll head home?” River pulled back from the hug and watched her nod slowly.   
  
Madi walked away from River to grab her bag from by one of the trees. Cole had seen her separate from River and made a beeline for her.   
  
“Leave me alone, Cole,” Madi spoke immediately as she bent down to pick up her bag.   
  
“Madi, just talk to me,” Cole reached out to stop her.   
  
“No you’re drunk,” she jerked away from his touch. “Do you not remember that you decided you didn’t want anything to do with Cora?”   
  
“Madi,” he stepped even closer to her but she stepped back immediately.   
  
“It’s been over three years Cole, don’t pretend like you actually care now,” she walked past him towards River.   
  
“Are you okay?” River asked quietly as he wrapped his arm around her waist.   
  
“Yeah, let’s just go home,” she leant against him as they started to walk down the dirt road.   
  
  
\----------------------------   
  
  
Madi couldn’t sleep, she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the run-in with Cole but sleep kept evading her. She looked at River’s sleeping form, he looked so peaceful, curled up slightly, his black hair messier than usual. His inked arm was across her torso and his ink-covered fingers were curled up in the sheet. Madi could remember the night they met at the bar when his band was playing.   
  
  
  
********   
  
Madi was getting ready for the big night ahead of them at the bar. It was a sold-out show for a band called Dusk who were starting to become big. She was a little stressed out because she was managing the bar while Anya was on leave and her mother was away at her other bar. Not to mention the fact that Cora was unsettled when she left her with her dad for the night. She hated leaving her daughter when she was so unsettled.   
  
Madi sighed as she went upstairs to the office, doors opened in 45 minutes and she needed to pump before it got too busy. She got to the top of the stairs and turned down the hall to go to the office. She walked past the green room where the band was hanging out before the show. She could see one of her waitresses flirting with the band members after she dropped off their pre-show drinks.   
  
Madi sighed and walked into the office before using the earpiece on her radio.   
  
“June, June, Madi, please head back downstairs and finish getting the VIP area ready,” Madi called over the radio.   
  
“Right on it,” June, the waitress radioed back immediately.   
  
Madi sat down on the couch and started to pump immediately knowing she just needed to get it done and then get back to work. She covered herself with a nursing blanket and got her phone out, her dad had messaged her telling her that Cora had settled pretty quickly after she left. Half an hour later she was finished and ready to head downstairs to finish the final checks before they opened.   
  
“Hey!” a voice called out to her, making her stop walking and poke her head into the green room.   
  
“Hi, are you guys all good?” Madi smiled at the band as she stood in the doorway.   
  
“Our dear dear friend here, River thinks you’re cute but is too chicken shit to talk to you,” The lead singer, Jack grinned widely as he gestured to the guy who was sitting in the corner, he had dark hair and tattoos covering his arms and hands.   
  
“Don’t listen to him,” the guy, who was pointed out as River shook his head. “He’s full of shit.”   
  
“Are you guys all good on drinks?” Madi kept her customer service smile on as she tried to ignore the backhandedness of the interaction.   
  
“We’re all good,” Jack gave her a kind smile as one of the other band members backhanded River’s chest.   
  
“What?” River hissed at his bandmate.   
  
“Well you guys have a good show,” Madi turned on her heels and walked downstairs.   
  
  
***********   
  
Madi yawned as she walked out the back door of the bar, she sat on the bench and lit up a cigarette. It was a long night, the band was having a break between sets and she was taking a break. She pumped before she headed outside, they had more than enough staff there for the night. She was looking at the pictures her dad had sent her of Cora, she was sleeping on his chest and just wanted cuddles all night. She barely even noticed when someone came out the back door.   
  
“Hey,” River’s voice made her look up slowly to find him standing there with his hands in his pockets.   
  
“Hey,” Madi spoke quietly as she watched him step closer to her.   
  
“I’m River,” he offered her his hand and she shook it slowly.   
  
“Madi,” she spoke quietly as he sat next to her on the bench.   
  
“I offended you earlier and I didn’t mean it,” He explained quietly as he watched her. “When I said Jack was full of shit, I meant that I wasn’t afraid to come to talk to you.”   
  
“You don’t have to explain anything,” she shook her head slowly and stamped out her cigarette.   
  
“What are you doing tonight after you shut?” he watched her carefully.   
  
“I have to head home afterwards,” Madi explained and pushed her hair behind her ear.   
  
“Have to get home to your boyfriend?” he watched her with a slight frown.   
  
“My daughter actually, I don’t have a boyfriend,” she shrugged slowly and watched a small smile appear on his face.   
  
“Give me your phone,” he held his hand out for her phone.   
  
"Okay," she gave him a wary look as she handed him her phone.   
  
"I'm giving you my number, I'd like you to take you out some time," he smiled and turned on the screen of her phone. "Is this her?" he gestured to Madi's lock screen which was a picture of Cora that she took the previous weekend.   
  
"Yeah, that's her," she couldn't help the proud smile that formed on her lips.   
  
"What's her name?" he smiled as he looked at her slowly.   
  
"Cora but I call her Cory," she smiled and ran a hand through her hair.   
  
"How old is she? She looks so tiny," he looked back at the picture again.   
  
"Just on six months, she a very small baby," she nodded slowly as she leant back.   
  
"I'm in town for another few days," he started with a wider grin but was interrupted when the back door flung open and Jack appeared.   
  
"River lets go," Jack nodded his head towards the bar.   
  
"I should get back in any way," Madi got up slowly and walked inside past Jack.   
  
This started them talking every day for six months until they finally went out on a date.   
  
  
  
*********************   
  
  
Madi woke in bed alone, she groaned quietly and sat up looking at the clock on the bedside table, it was past 11 am. Madi sighed as she got out of bed and made her way downstairs. She had slept in a lot but she was still in desperate need of coffee. The house was empty, no sign of River, Ethan or Rachel in the house. she sighed quietly and made a pot of coffee as she called Octavia.   
  
"Hey Madz, what's up?" Octavia answered immediately.   
  
"Hey O, thanks for taking Cory last night, what time did you want me to pick her up?" Madi leant against the bench as she waited for her coffee to be ready.   
  
"You know I'll always take Cory for a sleepover, River picked up Cory a couple of hours ago," Octavia spoke quickly as she heard Ash crying in the background.   
  
"Thanks, O, I'll let you go," Madi hung up as she poured herself a cup of coffee.   
  
The front door opened as she took a sip of her coffee.   
  
"Mommy, we're home," River's voice echoed through the house.   
  
"Mommy!" Cora called out loudly with a giggle.   
  
"Here's Mommy," River beamed as they walked into the kitchen. "Good morning," he kissed Madi with a smirk.   
  
"Good morning," Madi smiled as she watched Cora cuddle into River's side. "Can Mommy have a cuddle?"   
  
"No," Cora pouted and cuddled into River more.   
  
"She's missed Daddy too much," River smiled and kissed the top of the toddler's head. "The guys should be coming in soon."   
  
"So full house?" Madi raised her eyebrow slowly.   
  
"Is that okay?" he looked slightly worried. "I probably should've asked you first."   
  
"This is your house too, you don't have to ask me," she smiled and gave him a small kiss. “I should probably go get dressed.”   
  
Madi started to walk upstairs slowly with her cup of coffee still in her hands.   
  
“Hey, Babe?” River called up to her as she got to the top of the stairs.   
  
“Yeah?” she turned back to look at him.   
  
“I love you,” he smiled from ear to ear as he looked up at her.   
  
“I love you too,” she smiled as she felt her cheeks burn bright.   
  
By the time Madi was dressed and made her way downstairs, the lounge room was filled with River’s bandmates. Jack, Cam and Jimmy were their extended family.  
  
“Madi!” Jack beamed widely as he sat on the lounge with Cora sitting on his lap.   
  
“Hi,” Madi grinned as she stood by River as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I need to head to the store soon.”   
  
“Oh, can you get some stuff?” Cam, the bands’ guitarist piped up as he tickled Cora’s side.   
  
“Yeah, just write me a list,” Madi nodded slowly.   
  
Madi was used to have the guys stay at the house, they were like a big family.   
  
“Cory, do you love mommy or daddy more?” Jack asked the toddler with a laugh.   
  
“Don’t start this,” Madi laughed quietly and shook her head.   
  
“Do you love mommy or daddy more?” Jack asked again.   
  
“Daddy,” Cora answered with a giggle.   
  
“Yeah! Team Daddy!” Jack laughed and high fived Cora.   
  
“It’s always Daddy,” Madi laughed and watched her daughter giggle happily. “Alright, write your lists and I’ll head to the store.”   
  
“Want me to come with you?” River asked quietly and rubbed her back.   
  
“No it’s okay, just hang out here with Cory and the boys,” Madi smiled up at him before getting the lists off the boys. “Alright, Cory, Mommy will be back soon,” she bent down and kissed Cora’s cheek.   
  
“Me go,” Cora perked up and reached up for Madi to pick her up.   
  
“Alright, come on,” Madi picked her up and kissed her head. “We’ll be back.”   
  
\------------------   
  
Madi pushed the cart down the aisle as Cora sat in the cart with her teddy bear. She was taking her time collecting all of the items on the list.   
  
“Mommy?” Cora asked quietly as she cuddled her teddy bear.   
  
“Yeah, baby?” Madi turned her attention to the toddler.   
  
“Where’s Daddy?” The toddler suddenly looked sad as she cuddled her teddy.   
  
“Daddy’s at home, we’ll see him soon,” Madi stroked her daughter’s hair gently. “We need to get the stuff for Uncle Jack, Cam, Jimmy and Daddy.”   
  
Madi kept going down the aisle, picking up things as she went.   
  
“Madi?” Cole’s voice sent a shiver down her spine.  
  
Madi ignored him and kept pushing the cart down the aisle but he caught up with her and grabbed her arm to stop her from walking any further.  
  
“Cole, I really don’t want to talk to you,” Madi removed her arm from his grip.  
  
“Madi please, I was out of line last night,” Cole put his hand on her cart to stop her from moving.  
  
“Out of line is a damn understatement,” She rolled her eyes as she ran her hand threw her hair. “Leave me alone Cole.”   
  
“Go away!” Cora shouted as she pointed at Cole.  
  
“It’s okay baby,” Madi tried to soothe her daughter and stroked her daughter’s hair.  
  
“I made a mistake, Madi,” Cole stepped even closer to her. “I love you,” he was standing almost toe to toe with Madi.  
  
“I don’t have feelings for you, Cole, not anymore, not for a long time,” Madi glared up at him, putting her arm between Cole and Cora.  
  
“You’re lying,” he whispered.  
  
“It’s the truth, the day we broke up made me lose most of my feelings for you,” she narrowed her glare at him. “But the day I lost all feelings for you was the day I found out you had been sleeping with Jade for months while we were together. I mean I should’ve been surprised you cheated on Katie with me.”  
  
Cole growled loudly, scaring the toddler who was sitting in the cart. The little girl let out a terrified cry and reached for Madi.  
  
“Mommy!” Cora sobbed loudly and desperately reached for Madi.  
  
“I’ve got you, baby,” Madi pushed Cole out of the way and picked Cora up from the cart. “It’s okay,” she soothed as the toddler desperately clung to her.   
  
Madi shot Cole a glare as she pushed the cart away from him, still holding her daughter.

  
\-----------------------

  
Cora had fallen asleep on the car ride back to the house, Madi had managed to finish the shopping while holding Cora. Madi sighed loudly as she turned off the car, she ran her hand through her hair and squeezed her eyes shut. The sound of her phone ringing made her groan quietly and grab her phone.

“Hello?” Madi answered with a groan.

“Madi, I have a favour to ask,” Clarke’s voice was a little frazzled as she spoke.

“Sure, what’s up?” Madi sat up straight and rubbed her forehead.

“Can you work tonight? We’ve had two bartenders call in sick, Anya is out of town and I’m still in the city,” Clarke spoke quickly.

“Yeah,” Madi looked at the clock on her car radio and realised she had to be at the bar in less than two hours. “I’ll get Cory settled with River and head over.”

“Thanks, baby girl,” Clarke seemed to instantly relax.

“No worries, Mom,” Madi hung up before she got out of the car slowly.

River and his bandmates came out and start to get the groceries out of the car while River got Cora out.

“Are you okay?” River frowned deeply as he watched Madi carefully.

“Yeah, I’ve got to head into work,” Madi nodded slowly.

“Madi,” he pushed as he frowned deeply.

“I ran into Cole at the store,” she sighed quietly and rubbed her forehead. “It’s just put me on edge.”

River hummed with a frown before he turned to walk towards the house, holding Cora close to his chest.

“River,” Madi followed him with a frown as he walked inside and made a beeline upstairs.

River completely ignored her as he laid Cora down in her bed. He closed the bedroom door and leant against the wall, crossing his arms.

“So he was just there?” River’s voice was annoyed as he watched her.

“Yes,” Madi frowned deeply as she watched him. “What you think I planned this?”

“What’s the actual chance of you running into him?” He rolled his eyes.

“Seriously?” she shook her head and started to walk towards their bedroom. “River, I didn’t want to see him, I don’t want to see him,” she turned back to him before walking into their room.

“So I’m supposed to believe that you just happened to bump into your ex-boyfriend and now you’re acting all weird?” He followed her into their room as she went into their closet to get her work clothes.

“River,” she sighed loudly and walked out of the wardrobe. “Cole is the last person I wanted to see, I wouldn’t plan on meeting up with him. Why would I want to meet up with him?”

“You took Cora to go see him,” his frustration was growing as he watched her get changed into her work clothes.

“Why would I take our daughter to go see him?” she threw her hands up frustrated. “I don’t want him anywhere near our daughter.”

“But you want him around you,” he countered frustrated as he crossed his arms.

“Why would I want him around me? He lied and cheated for months,” she sighed frustrated and changed into her work shirt. “I’m not arguing about this, River.”

Madi walked past him, she couldn’t argue with him about this, it was ridiculous. She didn’t understand why he couldn’t just believe her. She just wanted to go into work and not think about the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
let me know what you think!


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
Please enjoy this chapter!

Madi was on edge, seeing Cole was bad enough but fighting with River just made it worse. She just tried to keep herself busy, so she didn’t think about it, she didn’t want to think about it. They barely ever fought but she hated it whenever they did. Right now, she hated it even more because he only just got home yesterday. It was hard when he was on the road, they could not see each other for weeks at a time and she just wanted to enjoy their time together before he went back on the road.

Madi sighed as she walked from out of the back room with stock for the bar. She found Rachel waiting at the end of the bar for her. Rachel and Ethan were out with a few of their friends at the bar.

“You okay Mads?” Rachel asked quietly with a concerned frown.

“Yeah,” Madi sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

“Let’s go out,” Rachel nodded towards the back of the bar.

Madi walked out the back with Rachel and sat down on the bench with a loud sigh as the cool night air surrounded them. Madi lit up a cigarette and closed her eyes.

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked quietly as Madi opened her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

“River and I got into a fight today,” Madi sighed and took a long drag of her cigarette.

“Over what?” Rachel frowned as Madi scoffed and shook her head.

“Cole,” Madi groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. “I ran into him at the store today with Cory, it put me on edge. River is convinced for some reason that I took Cory to go see him.”

“Maybe he’s just on edge with Cole being around?” Rachel suggested quietly as she watched her friend carefully.

“Yeah maybe, I don’t know,” Madi sighed quietly and leant back against the wall. “I just wanted us to have a good time before he goes away again.”

“When does he leave?” Rachel frowned slightly with a sigh.

“Two weeks and he’ll be gone for a month,” Madi sighed loudly and stubbed out her cigarette. “Hopefully they’ll get a proper break soon.”

“Maybe he just needs a little reassurance,” Rachel suggested quietly.

“Yeah,” Madi sighed and stood up slowly. “Head back inside and enjoy your night,” she gave her friend a small smile. “Thank you for always being here for me.”

“I’ll always be here for you,” Rachel smiled and hugged Madi tightly.

\----------------------- 

Madi yawned as she mopped the floor of the bar, it was almost three in the morning and it was only her and one of the security guards left. She just needed to finish up the cleaning. She was almost finished but it had been a very long night, she had gotten to the bar just after three in the afternoon and nearly twelve hours later she was still there. 

“Hey River,” The security guard spoke up as he opened the bar door.

“Hey,” River’s voice was gravely as he stepped into the bar. “I’ll stay with Madi until she finishes up.”

The security guard looked at Madi for confirmation and she nodded slowly. The security guard nodded and headed out the door, eager to get home.

“Jack said he’d watch Cory,” River spoke quietly as he stepped forwards her with his hands shoved into his pockets. “He told me I needed to get my ass over here and apologize to you,” he took his hands out of his pockets and put them on her hips to make her look at him. “I’m sorry for being an absolute idiot,” his thumbs gently stroked her hips. “I know you’d never plan to meet up with Cole or take Cora to go meet him. I just kind of freaked out when you said you ran into him,” he took a deep breath. “He puts me on edge.”

“You and me both,” Madi whispered as she looked up at him. “I don’t want to fight,” she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest.

River relaxed and engulfed her into a tight hug, burying his head into the crook of her neck. 

“I love you,” he whispered as he held her tight.

“I love you too,” she pulled back slowly and smiled up at him. “I want to enjoy these two weeks before you head back out on the road.”

“I needed to talk to you about that,” He sighed loudly as he ran his hand down his face.

“You’re leaving earlier, aren’t you?” she sighed disappointed as she watched him.

“We’re leaving on Monday morning, they booked two surprise shows and then some press work,” he cupped her cheek with a sympathetic look.

“Two days,” she mumbled as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “and you’ll be gone for six weeks now?”

“Yeah,” he sighed quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, summer is always the busiest time for you guys,” she gave him a reassuring smile before kissing him gently. 

“I hate letting you down,” he sighed as he pulled away from the kiss slowly.

“I’d rather just focus on our time together, maybe Cory and I will fly out, see a show,” She spoke quietly as she started to finish moping.

“I would love that,” he smiled as he started to put the chairs up onto the tables.

Within a couple of minutes, they were finished cleaning up and locking up the bar. Madi gave River one last kiss before she got into her car.

\-----------------------

Madi rolled off River with a satisfied sigh as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her head as their naked limbs remained entwined. River pulled the sheets over them as he cuddled in closer to her. It was early in the morning but Cora hadn’t woken up yet.

“I wish I could take you with me,” River whispered as he stroked her back gently.

“You don’t want to take your girlfriend on tour,” Madi laughed quietly and kissed him gently.

“Yes I do,” he laughed quietly and pulled her closer. “I want to have you by my side every day.”

“You know I can’t leave Cory,” she sighed quietly as she rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows.

“What if you just come with us for a week?” he asked quietly and brushed her hair behind her ear. “What if you come with us on Monday? Maybe see if Cory can stay with your parents?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed quietly and dipped her head with a quiet sigh. “I don’t like leaving Cory.”

“I know,” He continued to rub her back. “What if it’s just for a few days?”

“A few days I can do,” she leant over and kissed him gently.

The door bursts open, letting Cam, Jack and Jimmy burst in. Jack lounged across the end of the bed with a teasing grin.

“Dude, seriously?” River groaned as he shook his head.

“What? It's not like I haven’t seen you guys fuck before,” Jack laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Madi groaned knowing how many times Jack, Cam and Jimmy had casually walked in on them. Madi turned around and pulled the sheet up to cover herself as she sat up. They had seen her naked so many times that it didn’t bother her too much now.

“So are you coming with us tomorrow?” Cam asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, your parents already said they’d take Cora for the week,” Jack smirked as he watched Madi carefully.

“You spoke to my parents?” Madi raised an eyebrow at Jack as she grabbed River’s shirt and pulled it on.

Before Jack could answer, Madi’s phone started to ring as Cora came into the room and crawled up onto the bed to cuddle with River.

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Madi answered quietly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Hey Baby girl, we’ll be by tomorrow morning to pick up Cory before you go,” Clarke spoke in a happy tone.

“Jack just told me,” Madi ran her hand through her hair with a quiet sigh. “I don’t know about leaving her for a week.”

“We’re going to the lake, so she’ll be fine just playing with the kids,” Clarke reassured. “Go with River and just have a good time away, Cory will be fine with us.”

“I don’t know,” Madi sighed quietly as the guilty feeling settled over her.

“Well, I’m pulling the grandmother card, I want my grandbaby for the week,” Clarke spoke in a matter of fact tone, she wasn’t going to give up.

“Okay, I’ll pack her bag,” Madi sat back slowly and looked at Cora as she cuddled with River.

“Good,” Clarke hung up and Madi put her phone back on the bedside table.

“Cory,” Madi reached over and stroked her daughter’s hair gently. “Mommy is going to go away with Daddy for a little while but you’re going to stay with Nanny and Poppy.”

“Yes!” Jack high fived Cam and Jimmy with a wide grin.

“No!” Cora sobbed as she crawled over to Madi, curling up on her lap.

“Mommy will only be gone for a week, you’ll be at the lake with Nanny and Poppy,” Madi soothed as she stroked the toddler’s hair. 

“No!” Cora sobbed even louder as she clung to her mother.

“It’s okay baby girl,” Madi soothed as she rocked the toddler gently. “When Mommy gets back, we’ll both go see Daddy.”

The toddler just cuddled into her mother’s chest as River reached over and rubbed Cora’s back.

“How about Daddy makes breakfast?” River leant over and kissed Cora’s cheek. 

“Come on, Mommy will get you dressed,” Madi whispered and got up holding Cora close to her chest.

\----------------------- 

Madi laid down Cora in bed gently, she was asleep ready for her nap. Madi snuck out of the room soundlessly. She made her way back downstairs where the guys were doing the last of their washing to pack back up for their trip.

“Did she go down okay?” River asked quietly as he packed up Cora’s bag.

“Yeah, she seems to have settled down,” Madi sighed quietly as she leant against the dining room table. “She hasn’t been away from me for a week before.”

“She’ll be fine, babe, she’ll be having too much fun with all of the kids,” River put his hands on her hips. “I know you hate seeing her upset, I do too.”

“So when are you guys giving us a new dusk baby?” Jack smirked as he walked into the dining room.

“Maybe when you’re not on the road 9 months out of the year?” Madi commented as she sat on the dining room table.

“You are the only one who’s survived us being on the road,” Jack leant against the doorway slowly.

“I do my best,” she rubbed the back of her neck slowly as River stood in front of Madi and brushed her hair behind her ear.

“I know it’s hard,” River whispered and gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she smiled and kissed him again.

“Well we are taking a break for full-blown touring at the end of the year, you could baby make then,” Jack wiggled his eyebrows at Madi and River.

“Jack,” River half growled as he rolled his eyes. “Any decision Madi and I make to have a baby is between us, not you.” 

River wrapped his arms around Madi and kissed the top of her head.

“I should go pack my bag,” Madi mumbled as she pulled back slowly.

“I’ve almost finished packing up Cory’s bag, just need to get more Diapers,” River stepped back to let Madi slide off the table.

“Thank you,” Madi got up on her toes and kissed him gently.

  
\------------------- ---------------- 

“Cory, Nanny is here,” Clarke called out as she walked into the house.

Madi watched as Cora jumped up from the dining room table and ran to go meet Clarke at the door. Madi got up slowly, anxiety in her chest growing. River squeezed her hand as Clarke walked into the dining room holding Cora in her arms.

“Are you ready to go to the lake?” Clarke asked the toddler as she kissed her cheek.

“Mommy coming?” Cora looked over at Madi as she walked over to her slowly.

“No Baby, Mommy is going with Daddy while you’re at the lake,” Madi spoke in a soft voice as she brushed the hair out of the toddler’s face. “But you’re going to have so much fun with Nanny and Poppy. Mommy will be back before you know it.”

“Ash and the twins are really excited to play with you,” Clarke encouraged with a grin. “You can go swimming and poppy even said he’ll take you fishing.”

“Yeah!” the toddler cheered happily.

“Say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy, then we’ll go to the lake,” Clarke kissed the toddler’s head gently before putting her down.

The toddler immediately ran to River, letting him scoop her up and kiss her cheek.

“Daddy is going to miss you,” River whispered as he held Cora close. “But when Daddy gets home, he’s going to take you and Mommy away, just us three.”

“Love you, Daddy,” Cora kissed River on his cheek before hugging him around his neck.

“Love you too Cory,” He hugged her before he passed her to Madi.

“Mommy will call you tonight before you go to bed,” Madi whispered and hugged Cora tightly. “I love you.”

“Love you,” Cora hugged Madi tight and kissed her cheek gently.

“Have fun at the lake baby,” Madi whispered and handed Cora to Clarke.

“Have fun and I’ll see you when you get back,” Clarke smiled and kissed Madi’s cheek gently. “Be safe and I’ll see you when you get back,” She smiled and gave River a side hug.

Cora waved at them as Clarke carried her out of the door. Madi felt at ease that Cora wasn’t upset leaving. It wasn’t long after Clarke left with Cora, that Madi and the boys were loading up their bags into the van to head to the airport.

  
\------------------------------ 

Madi sat on one of the storage boxes backstage, the band had a show but were doing a meet and greet before the show. She knew it was best for her to hang back and let River work. She was planning on staying in the green room but the boys insisted that she came to the backstage area. Madi watched the boys hang around the fans that had come for the meet and greet. 

“I’ve been following you for years,” A girl with long blonde hair smiled up at River as she touched his chest. 

Madi was used to people hitting on River, fans mostly, it didn’t really affect her, she trusted River.

“How long are you in town for?” The girl asked as she stepped closer to River, making him step back instantly.

“We’ll be in town for a few days before we head off,” River nodded slowly. 

Jack came over to River and slung his arm over his shoulders.

“I’m sorry to tell you but our River here is taken, but I, on the other hand, am single,” Jack smiled widely as the girl turned her attention to Jack instead.

River made his move to go talk to some of the other fans, Madi was surprised when one came to sit next to her on the storage box. 

“Is this the first time you’ve met them?” The redhead girl asked her with a happy smile.

“I’m not here with the meet and greet,” Madi smiled as the girl looked a little puzzled. “I’m here with the band.”

“Oh, this is my third time seeing them, they’re my favourite band,” the girl gushed happily.

“Who’s your favourite?” Madi smiled as she watched the girl start to think.

“Definitely Jimmy,” the girl’s cheeks flushed red as she looked over at Jimmy, who was leaning against the wall as he talked to a few guys.

“Ask him about his Warwick German Pro, his face will light up immediately,” Madi smiled and watched the girl slowly slide off the storage box.

Madi gave her a reassuring smile as she made her way over to Jimmy. Madi’s phone started to ring and she slipped out of the room. She walked down the hall and out the back door of the venue before she answered.

“Hello?” Madi answered.

“Hey,” Cole breathed out and Madi frowned immediately. “Don’t hang up, please. I just need to talk to you.”

“What did you want to talk about?” She sighed quietly, leaning against the wall as she lit a cigarette.

“I have fucked up so much,” he breathed out nervously. “I listened to toxic people, I let them manipulate me and I was being selfish,” he took a deep breath. “I didn’t want it to be harder. I didn’t want to make my degree harder by having a baby.”

“Cole,” Madi sighed quietly and sat down on one of the benches.

“I know my parents still see her,” he sighed defeated. “I know I’ve fucked this all up but...” he took a deep nervous breath. “I wanted to ask if you and River would consider letting me meet her.”

“I don’t know, Cole,” she sighed rubbing her forehead slowly.

“I want to meet up with you two first to apologize and make you feel comfortable,” his voice was nervous and shaky.

“I’ll talk to River, just give me some time okay?” she took a deep breath. “River and I have to decide on this together as her parents.”

“Thank you Madi,” He whispered and seemed to relax. “I just want to know her and I know I don’t deserve it but I would really appreciate it if you and River give me a chance. I know I’ll never be her dad but I would like to be in her life.”

“There’s got to be a lot of work done Cole, trust to be built up,” she closed her eyes as she leant back. 

“I know, I don’t want to mess this up,” he promised as the back door to the venue opened and River came out looking for her.

“I’ll talk to him, I’ve got to go,” she hung up and looked at River, who had a mixture of concern and annoyance on his face.

“Who was that?” River frowned deeply as he crossed his arms.

“Cole, he wants to talk to the both of us,” she stood up slowly and put out her cigarette. “He wants to apologize. He hopes that we’d consider letting him meet Cory.”

“Mmhm,” River grunted annoyed.

“I told him I’d talk to you,” she walked closer to him and grabbed his hands, holding his hands. “We have to decide on this together as her parents, you have just as much of a say in this as I do. You’re her father and nothing is going to change that. You helped me raise her.”

“We’ll talk about this later,” He kissed her forehead gently. “We’re about to go on.”

River leant down and gave her a gentle kiss, which made Madi relax instantly knowing he wasn’t mad at her.

“You’re going to kill it,” She grinned and kissed him again.

“I hope so,” he spoke nervously, which she found odd, she had never seen him nervous before a show before.

He always seemed in his element playing shows, he just always seemed to let go and enjoy himself. Madi could remember their first date, he was so confident yet terribly nervous at the same time.

************

River sat at the bar while Madi worked the closing shift, River had a few days off before he had to head back to the city to play some shows. They had been talking for six months since the band had first played at the bar.

“Let me take you on a date,” River smiled widely as he watched her wipe down the bar.

“A date?” Madi asked sceptically as she walked closer to him.

They had been talking for six months but Madi was sure he only saw her as a friend.

“You know I have a baby right?” She raised her eyebrow at him carefully.

The bar was closed and she was just doing the prep she needed to get done for the next day.

“Of course, I do,” he chuckled as he got up and walked behind the bar. “I want to take you out on a date,” he leant down and gave her a soft, gentle kiss.

“Okay,” she whispered against his lips and she could feel him smirk against her lips.

Madi could tell River was nervous when he picked her up from her parents’ house. He stuttered when she first got into his car, he relaxed when she leant over and kissed him slowly. The kiss seemed to inject him with confidence until they reached the restaurant and the nerves slammed into him again. He was stuttering again and only seemed to relax when she squeezed his hand. His nerves kept coming and going all night, the confidence would fill him again when she gave him a small sign of affection.

They ended the night having milkshakes at the lookout, he was completely over his nerves as he sat cuddled up to her on a blanket. Things went fast for them after that, within another six months he had moved in with her into Clarke’s old house. Despite things moving fast, they loved each other and they were committed to each other.

**************

Madi sat a storage box on the wings of the stage, watching the show. She loved watching them play, they always seemed to be having fun and the crowd was absolutely loving it. River winked at Madi as they finished the second to last song of their set.

“Alright, if you would excuse River for one moment, he just needs to grab someone special to join us,” Jack grinned widely as he spoke.

Madi frowned confused as River walked off the stage to grab her hand and pull her on stage.

“What are you doing?” Madi laughed as River pulled her to the front of the stage.

Jack handed the microphone to River with a wide grin as Jimmy and Cam put their instruments down. 

“This beautiful woman standing in front of me is my girlfriend Madi, she has changed my life more than I could ever imagine. She’s given me a family, a home and so much more. I love you more than anything in this world,” River grinned as he spoke. “I’m hoping that tonight you’ll no longer be my girlfriend,” he got down on one knee and Madi felt her breath catch in her throat. “Will you marry me Madi?” he smiled up at her nervously as he opened a ring box to reveal a round cut diamond ring.

“Yes,” Madi choked out and River jumped up, swinging her around with a happy laugh.

“If it wasn’t obvious enough, she said yes!” Jack spoke over the mic with a happy laugh.

“I love you,” River whispered and kissed her slowly as he put her on her feet.

“I love you too,” She whispered as she watched him put the ring on her finger.

Jack, Cam and Jimmy came over and took turns hugging Madi tightly before slapping River on the back. 

“Alright love birds, we’ve got one last song,” Jack smiled as he put the mic back on the stand making the crowd cheer even louder. 

“Head back and I’ll be back there soon,” River gave her a gentle kiss.

Madi nodded and walked back to the wings, still in shock over what just happened. The band played the last song to an even more revved-up crowd. River kept his eyes on her the majority of the time, his smile never fading the entire time. She couldn’t keep her eyes off River the entire song, she couldn’t stop the overwhelming feeling of love that filled her.

As soon as the show finished, River ran backstage to take Madi into his arms again. He kissed her deeply as he held her tight, the boys walked behind them and patted River on the back.

“Stop making out with your ex-girlfriend!” Jimmy laughed loudly as he grabbed a bottle of water.

“We’re heading to the lake tomorrow,” River smiled as he pulled back slowly.

“I thought you guys had stuff booked?” Madi frowned confused.

“I told a little lie,” River chuckled quietly and brushed her hair behind her ear.

“He’s been planning this for months,” Jack smiled as he walked over to them. “Your whole family has been in on it.”

“They all know?” Madi raised her eyebrow slowly as she looked at River.

“Yeah,” River chuckled happily. “Your mom, aunts, Ellie and Aurora all came with me to pick out the ring. I thought simple would be best.”

“I love it,” Madi smiled down at the ring slowly. 

“I think it’s time to go celebrate,” Cam grinned widely as he held up a bottle of champagne.

\-------------------------- 

Madi was still in shock as she got into bed with River at the hotel, she hadn’t expected this at all. They had celebrated into the early hours of the morning until they retreated to their hotel room to go to bed.

“Still in shock?” River chuckled as he got under the covers.

“Yeah,” Madi smiled as she looked at her ring again and cuddled up to him. “I didn’t expect this.”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” River smiled and kissed the top of her head. 

“I can’t wait,” she smiled as she rolled onto her stomach to look at him. “I love you River.” 

“I love you too,” he leant up and kissed her gently. “I want to give you the wedding of your dreams.”

“As long as we get married, I don’t mind,” She smiled as she rested her chin on his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Please let me know what you think!


	33. Chapter 33

Madi yawned loudly as she got into the car after their flight, they were all heading to the lake house. She felt awful this morning, she was hungover and the flight didn’t help with that. River rubbed her shoulder as he pulled out of the parking lot. Jack, Cam and Jimmy were already passed out asleep.

“I will marry you right now if you get me coffee,” Madi groaned as she put her sunglasses on.

“Promise?” River asked with a quiet chuckle.

“I promise,” she groaned even louder and sunk down in the seat more.

“I’ll get you coffee babe,” he chuckled and kissed her hand gently.

“How are you not hungover?” she shot him a side-eye as he squeezed her hand.

“I didn’t drink too much,” he smiled as he drove. “Every time we’re on the road, the guys make me drive. You didn’t drink that much.”

“I’m a mom, alcohol affects me more,” she perked up when they pulled into a drive-through coffee shop.

“Speaking of babies,” he turned to look at her as they waited in line. “I want to start trying.”

“I don’t think right now is the right time,” she sighed quietly as she ran her hand through her hair. “You’re on the road for weeks at a time.”

“At the end of the year, we’re taking a break to record the new album, I’ll be home for the majority of next year,” he held her hand tightly. “What do you think?”

“Okay, end of the year,” she gave him a small smiled and kissed the back of his hand.

“Time to get you Coffee baby,” he kissed her cheek before driving up to order.

  
\----------------------------- 

  
Madi got out of the car at the lake house and was immediately tackled into a hug by Minerva. Everyone started to pour out of the house, Bellamy made a beeline to hug River.

“Holy shit, you’re getting married!” Minerva squealed as she pulled away from the hug.

“Mommy!” Cora squealed from Theo’s arms as they walked out of the house.

“Cory, mommy and daddy are getting married!” Theo gushed as he tickled Cora’s stomach.

“Mommy!” Cora practically leapt out of Theo’s arms into Madi’s arms.

“Hi baby,” Madi smiled and cuddled Cora. “Did you miss mommy?”

The toddler clung onto her even when River came over to get a cuddle.

“Can daddy get a hug?” River asked as he held his hands out to her.

“No!” Cora clung onto Madi tighter.

“She wants me for once,” Madi laughed quietly and cuddled Cora.

“Mommy,” Cora whined as she buried her head into the crook of Madi’s neck.

“Let’s head in, lunch is ready,” Aurora smiled as everyone followed her instructions to head inside.

“Was she okay last night?” Madi asked her mom quietly as they walked inside the lake house.

“She was a little upset last night,” Clarke spoke quietly as they walked out of the back balcony. 

“Mom,” Madi raised her eyebrow at her mother, knowing that her daughter must have been upset.

“All she’s wanted was uncle Theo all night, she stayed with uncle Theo last night,” Theo answered and sat down at the table next to Madi. “Isn’t that right Cory?”

“Theeye,” Cora mumbled quietly and stayed nestled into Madi.

“Have you missed uncle, Theo?” Madi asked quietly as River rubbed Cora’s back.

“Mommy?” Cora leant back to look at Madi.

“Yeah, baby?” Madi brushed the hair out of Cora’s face.

“You go away?” the little girl looked at her mother worried.

“Nope, Mommy and Daddy are staying here with you,” Madi smiled as she rubbed her daughter’s arms.

“What’s that?” Cora’s little fingers grabbed a hold of Madi’s engagement ring.

“Daddy gave it to me last night,” Madi smiled at Cora as she stared at the ring.

“It’s pretty,” Cora smiled widely as she looked up at her mom.

“It is very pretty,” Madi beamed and kissed Cora’s head. “Not as pretty as you,” She tapped the tip of Cora’s nose with her finger causing the toddler to giggle.

“So when’s the wedding?” Octavia asked as she served herself a plate of food.

“We haven’t talked about that yet,” Madi smiled as River gave her a plate of food. “Do you want your own plate or do you want to share with Mommy?”

“Share,” Cora mumbled and took a piece of asparagus off Madi’s plate.

A wave of nausea hit Madi like a freight train, her stomach churned horribly. She tried to push the feeling down but it wouldn’t go away.

“Baby, sit with daddy,” Madi passed Cora over to River and made a beeline for the bathroom inside.

She could hear Cora crying loudly and River trying to comfort her. She emptied the contents of her stomach before sitting back with a loud groan. A knock at the door echoed through the bathroom as she threw up again. 

“Madi? Are you okay?” Ellie asked quietly through the door.

“Yeah,” Madi groaned quietly as she cleaned herself up.

She took a few moments to clean herself up and brush her teeth before opening the door.

“I’m okay, just have a killer hangover,” Madi reassured Ellie as she walked out of the bathroom.

“You sure?” Ellie raised her eyebrow slowly.

“Yeah,” Madi pulled her hair up in a bun, she could still hear Cora crying.

Madi followed Ellie back outside and took Cora off River. Cora buried her head into Madi’s chest as she continued to sob.

“It’s okay baby, Mommy just went to the bathroom,” Madi reassured and kissed the top of Cora’s head.

“Why don’t you want Daddy?” River asked quietly as he rubbed Cora’s back. 

“No,” Cora shot River a death stare. “I want mommy.” 

“You okay?” River asked quietly as he put his arm around Madi’s shoulder.

“Yeah, stupid hangover,” Madi sighed quietly as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Aww poor baby,” Jack teased with a smirk from the end of the table.

“It’s your fault,” Madi shot Jack a look which just made him laugh.

“See that’s where you’re wrong, it was tequila and champagne,” Jack grinned widely.

  
\----------------------

  
Madi crawled into bed in the newly built guest house that was attached to the lake house. River was already in bed with Cora cuddled into his side.

“Babe?” River asked quietly as he watched Madi pull the covers over her. “You don’t think you’re pregnant, do you?”

“I can’t be,” Madi frowned slowly as she grabbed her phone.

“Are you sure?” He watched her carefully as she went through her phone.

“How did I miss this?” she mumbled with a deep frown as she stared at her phone.

“You missed your period didn’t you?” he smiled excitedly as he sat up carefully so he didn’t wake Cora. “You’re pregnant.”

“We don’t know that yet,” She sighed loudly and sat up carefully.

“We should get a test, I’ll go to the gas station,” He got up and grabbed his keys. “Stay with Cory and I’ll be back,” he happily kissed her cheek before walking out.

  
\---------------------------- 

  
Madi came out of the bathroom with the test in her hand, River was waiting on the bed excited as he stroked Cora’s hair. She was nervous for the results, she wanted to have a baby with River but she wanted to do it when River was at home more. You can’t always plan on when to have a baby but Madi would be happy if she was.

“I know this isn’t what you wanted just yet but I’ll be happy if you are,” River spoke quietly as he reached out took her free hand.

“I’ll be happy too, I just can’t believe it completely slipped my mind that I missed my period,” Madi spoke quietly as she let him pull her onto his lap.

Madi yawned as she rested her head on his shoulder, she was tired. It was almost 1 am and she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she saw the results. They stayed quiet as they waited for the results.

Madi stared at the pink plus sign as a small smile started to form on her lips.

“Let me see,” River chuckled and grabbed the test out of her hands. “No way,” he smiled even wider. “I love you so much,” he kissed her deeply.

“I love you too,” she giggled against his lips. “I’m really happy but I’m really tired.”

  
“Come on,” he urged her to get into bed with him. 

  
  
Madi nestled down into the bed with another yawn as River laid down, keeping a hand on her stomach. 

  
  
“I can’t believe there’s a baby in there,” he beamed happily. 

  
  
“It’s still early,” she mumbled as she started to drift off.   
“The first trimester I’m more at risk for miscarriage,” she mumbled with a yawn. “It’s happened to before.”

  
  
River suddenly sat up and it made Madi open her eyes. 

  
  
“What do you mean it’s happened before?” He narrowed his eyes at her carefully. 

  
  
“I had a miscarriage before I had Cory, after Cole and I broke up the first time,” she sat up and rubbed the back of her neck. 

  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He watched her as she pulled her knees to her chest. 

  
  
“I didn’t really ever talk about it, only Cole, Rachel and Ethan know,” she sighed rubbing the back of her neck. “I don’t like to talk about or think about it.”

“You still could’ve told me,” He narrowed his gaze at her that made her sigh loudly.

“River, I didn’t keep it from you to keep a secret,” She whispered. “I don’t like thinking about it, it wasn’t a good time for me. I went through that alone, I didn’t have anyone there for me. I didn’t have my friends and I wasn’t talking to my family.”

“I’m sorry,” he sighed and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. 

Madi buried her head into his chest and sighed quietly before she pulled back slowly. 

“I’m scared it’s going to happen again,” she admitted quietly.

“I’m sure everything is going to be okay, let's just get some sleep,” he laid down with her.

Madi’s mind kept going over the idea, her brain just didn’t stop. She didn’t feel right and it was bothering her.

  
\--------------

  
Madi yawned as she walked into the kitchen, River was still asleep but Madi got up with Cora when she woke up at 6:30 am. Madi made quick work of getting Cora breakfast before she sat down with Cora outside as she ate. Madi sighed as she drank juice and watched her daughter eat. She felt off but she knew it was probably just morning sickness or the fact that she barely slept last night.

“The joys of having a toddler,” Octavia groaned as she came out with Ash’s breakfast.

“Cory was too excited to go back to sleep,” Madi mumbled and kissed Cora’s head.

“Are you okay? You look a little off,” Octavia frowned and sat next to her.

“Yeah, just not feeling the best, didn’t really sleep last night,” Madi sighed quietly as she ran her hand through her hair. 

“Have you thought about what type of wedding you want?” Octavia asked quietly as she palmed her cup of coffee.

“Not really, we’ve got to figure out River and the band’s schedule before we can plan anything,” Madi explained quietly and ran a hand through her hair. “Then we have to plan it and do any appointments when he’s in town.”

“Makes you just want to elope,” Octavia laughed quietly and took a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah it does,” Madi laughed quietly and sipped her juice.

“Why don’t you?” Octavia raised her eyebrow slowly.

“I’ve got to talk with River and find out what he wants to do,” Madi shifted uncomfortably as she held her stomach as it flipped painfully.

“Madi?” Octavia frowned slowly as she watched her niece carefully.

“I’m fine, I just don’t feel well,” Madi tried to breathe through the feeling. “Can you watch Cory?”

“Yeah,” Octavia watched Madi with a worried look on her face.

Madi stood up slowly as she held her stomach before she slowly walked inside to the bathroom. Madi threw up uncontrollably as she held her stomach, she felt absolutely shocking. When she couldn’t throw up anymore, she sat back groaning. She couldn’t understand why she was so sick all of a sudden. 

She sat on the bathroom floor until her stomach stopped turning. She cleaned herself up and made her way back out. She sank down on the seat next to Cora with a sigh.

“Mads?” Octavia’s concerned frowned deepened even more.

“I’m fine honestly,” Madi waved off Octavia’s worry and sipped on the bottle of water she grabbed on her way out.

“Mads, you’re really sick, this isn’t right,” Octavia put her hand on Madi’s forehead to check her temperature.

“O, I’m fine,” Madi looked down at her own stomach and then back to Octavia. “Trust me, I’m fine.”

Octavia sighed and sat back down, watching Madi carefully. River came out of the guest house just dressed in shorts, Madi couldn’t help but stare at River’s sculpted chest that was covered in ink. Madi looked him up and down with a small smirk. 

“Like what you see?” River asked with a smirk and kissed Madi gently.

“I do,” Madi smirked as she watched him sit down and pull Cora into his lap as she cuddled up to him.

“O!” Cora called out with a wide grin.

“Yeah, Cory?” Octavia smiled as she watched her great-niece.

“That’s me!” The toddler beamed happily as she pointed at the tattoo of her name on River’s left collar bone.

“Daddy must love you very much,” Octavia grinned even wider at the toddler.

Madi sighed quietly as her stomach flipped painfully again. She didn’t feel right and it just wasn’t that she wasn’t feeling well.

“Come on, Ash lets get you dressed for the day,” Octavia got up with Ash to take him back inside.

Madi waited for Octavia to go inside before she looked at River.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Madi spoke quietly to River as she rubbed her stomach. 

“What do you mean?” River frowned deeply as he watched Madi carefully.

“I don’t know but I don’t feel right,” She sighed looking down.

“Should we go to the clinic and get you checked out?” He asked quietly and took her hand in his.

“Yeah,” she felt like she was disappointing him.

“I’ll ask O if she can watch Cory,” he got up slowly and kissed the top of her head.

  
\------------------- 

  
Madi laid on the examination table in the clinic as River held her hand nervously. The doctor got the ultrasound machine set up.

“How far along did you think you are?” The doctor asked quietly as he started the ultrasound.

“Eight weeks,” Madi answered quietly as she closed her eyes, too worried to look at the screen.

“Okay, so you’re not eight weeks,” The doctor spoke quickly as he kept doing the ultrasound. “You’re measuring at 11 weeks.”

“How did I not know?” Madi mumbled quietly as she opened her eyes slowly.

“And here’s your baby’s heartbeat,” the doctor played the heartbeat, it made her relax immediately.

“Is everything okay?” River still asked nervously as he squeezed her hand tightly. 

“Everything looks healthy, the odd feeling that you’re getting is your baby moving, you feel it earlier in your second pregnancy,” The doctor started to print pictures. “Your baby is healthy and very active.”

River relaxed immediately as he took the pictures off the doctor and went through some information with the couple. The odd feeling that had plagued Madi since she had seen the test seemed to have melted away. 

“I miss coffee already,” Madi mumbled as she walked out of the clinic with River.

“I can’t believe you’re 11 weeks,” River laughed happily as he kissed the top of her head.

“Me either, how did I miss this?” Madi frowned as she got into the car with River.

“You’ve been really busy with the bar and your work for Vicent, plus Cory keeps you on your feet,” River kissed the top of her hand gently as he started the car. “I can’t wait to tell everyone.”

“We can tell everyone when we get back,” she watched him smile even wider as they started to drive back to the lake house.

“Best week ever,” he chuckled as he concentrated on the road. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

Madi couldn’t stop the smile on her lips as she watched how excited he was about all of this. When they got back to the lake house, everyone was sitting on the balcony eating breakfast.

“Where did you two run off to?” Bellamy asked as he sat with Cora on his lap, the toddler was happily eating a piece of bacon off Bellamy’s plate.

“We had to pick up an early birthday present for Clarke,” River smiled and handed Clarke an envelope.

“What’s this?” Clarke frowned as she looked at Madi and River. 

“Just open it, Mom,” Madi smiled as River wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead gently.

Clarke opened the envelope as Bellamy leant in closer to see what it was. 

“You’re kidding,” Clarke breathed out as she looked at her daughter.

“This is a joke,” Bellamy looked at the contents of the envelope.

“What’s going on?” Aurora got up slowly.

Clarke got up and pulled her daughter into a tight hug as Bellamy got up and shook River’s hand. 

“Can you tell us what’s going on?” Octavia asked impatiently as she stood up. 

“Cory is going to be a big sister,” River smiled widely as he looked around slowly.

There was an eerie quiet that fell over the group, a mixture of shock and confusion. 

“When did you find out?” Octavia walked over and hugged Madi slowly.

“Last night, we just went to the clinic and I’m 11 weeks along,” Madi spoke quietly as the shock started to wear off her family. 

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant,” Aurora hugged Madi tightly with a wide smile.

“I’m still in shock too,” Madi laughed as she pulled away slowly. “I didn’t expect this.”

River was shaking hands with Alex and beaming about being a dad again. He was full of pride as he happily beamed to everyone.

“Mommy!” Cora ran over to Madi with her arms up in the air.

“Hi Baby girl,” Madi picked up Cora as Raven came over to Madi.

“Cory, guess what’s in Mommy’s tummy,” Raven smiled at Cora. 

“Pizza!” Cora grinned widely with a small giggle.

“There’s not Pizza in there,” Raven laughed and tickled Cora’s stomach. “There’s a baby in there.”

“Baby,” Cora mumbled and poked Madi’s stomach.

“I’m mad at you, Blake,” Jack sighed loudly as he threw his arm over Madi’s shoulders. “You lied to me, you said you weren’t going to give us a dusk baby until we stopped touring.”

“Well, this wasn’t exactly planned, we only found out last night,” Madi laughed quietly as Jack suddenly hugged her.

“Well I’m happy,” Jack spoke quietly as he gave her a tight hug until Cora pushed him away.

“My mommy,” Cora frowned deeply as she glared at Jack. “My mommy, my baby, go away,” the toddler’s glare intensified. “Stop touching my mommy Jacky!”

“Oooh she just told you off,” Raven laughed as she watched Jack step back with his hands in the air.

Madi laughed as she watched Jack walk backwards with an exaggerated frown.

  
\----------------------

  
Madi sat on the balcony with Raven while everyone else was either swimming or doing water sports. Raven was sitting out to keep Madi company because she wasn’t feeling well enough to do anything that involved being in the water.

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant again,” Raven smiled as she watched her niece carefully.

“Me either,” Madi mumbled quietly with a sigh. “I’m still in shock, I didn’t want to try to have another baby until River wasn’t touring as much. I literally told River that when we were driving here yesterday, little did I know that I was already pregnant,” she let out a quiet laugh. 

“How did you not notice it?” Raven frowned slowly.

“Remember when Cory tried to flush my phone and I had to have my phone in rice for a week before it would finally work?” Madi watched her aunt nod slowly. “Well that was when my period was due and I just never got the notifications, it completely slipped my mind until River asked me last night.”

“Are you okay?” Raven asked quietly, watching her niece carefully.

“Yeah,” Madi relaxed back in the seat as a small smile played on her lips. “The last couple of days have just been a lot of changes, good changes but I think my soul is just trying to catch up.”

“I felt like that when Murphy and I got engaged, it was out of the blue and I took me a good few days to process it all,” Raven reassured quietly with a small smile. “Plus you’ve had a baby on top of it all.”

“I thought I’d only be about eight weeks along but 11 weeks?” Madi laughed quietly as she put her hand on her stomach. 

“That means...” Raven counted back in her head. “River was on the road when you got pregnant. Madi Aurora Blake,” Raven scolded loudly.

“River and I met up for a night when I went to New York for my meetings with Vicent,” Madi explained shaking her head at her Aunt. “We took advantage of our schedules overlapping.” 

“Took advantage huh?” Raven laughed as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Obviously,” Madi laughed as she rubbed her stomach. 

“River is over the moon,” Raven smiled slowly as she watched River on the dock with Cora. 

“He is,” Madi smiled and watched River pick up Cora, kissing her cheek gently. “I think it makes him feel closer to his parents, they were the same age we are when they had him.”

“It must be hard for him, not having his parents and his grandparents passing,” Raven spoke quietly as she watched River and Cora.

“That’s why he always wants to focus on us when he’s home,” Madi smiled as she watched River and Cora run-up to the house, the sound of Cora’s giggles filling the air.

“Mommy!” Cora squealed with a loud giggle.

“Hi baby,” Madi smiled as the toddler ran into her arms. 

“Haha, you’re wet!” Cora squealed in laughter as she hugged Madi tighter.

“You made me all wet,” Madi laughed as the toddler pulled away.

“Jacky threw me in the water and then Daddy threw Jacky in the water, then Cammy threw Daddy in the water, then Jimmy threw Cammy in the water!” Cora was smiling from ear to ear as she recounted what had happened. “Mommy, come swimming!”

“Mommy isn’t feeling well, baby girl,” Madi spoke quietly and brushed the hair out of Cora’s face.

“Daddy tell Mommy to come,” Cora looked back at River. 

“Why doesn’t Mommy come just put her feet in the water?” River countered with a smirk, satisfying Cora.

“Okay, okay,” Madi got up slowly to the cheers of Cora.

Madi walked down to the water with Cora and River while Raven trailed behind. Cam and Jimmy snuck up behind them, picking up Madi and rushing her down the water. Madi squealed as they threw her into the water.

River grabbed them by the backs of their necks and roughly threw them into the water. 

“Are you okay?” River looked concerned as he carefully pulled her out of the water.

“I’m fine,” Madi laughed quietly as she looked at Cam and Jimmy arguing in the water.

“Are you sure?” River looked concerned as he checked her over.

“I’m sure,” Madi got up on her toes and kissed him gently.

“You’re going to have to find room for a tattoo for the baby,” Raven laughed as she gestured to River’s torso and arms that were covered in tattoos.

“I have space,” River grinned, relaxing immediately. “Right here,” he pointed to the blank banners he had under Cora’s name. “I’m getting a new leg piece while the band in New York.”

  
  
“Can I see?” Madi smiled as he got his phone out. 

  
  
“You don’t get to see until it’s done,” River smirked and showed the design to Raven. 

  
  
“No fair, I’m the mother of your children,” Madi faked being offended as she crossed her arms. 

  
  
“And you’ll see it when it’s done,” he turned the screen off on his phone with a smile. 

  
  
“You’ll like it, Madz,” Raven smirked as she looked at River again. 

  
  
“Mommy?” Cora asked quietly as she looked up at Madi. 

  
  
“Yeah, baby?” Madi got down on her level. 

  
  
“I want to see Henny and Janey,” the toddler mumbled as she played with the hem of her towel. 

  
  
“We can see them when we get home,” Madi spoke quietly and watched the toddler light up. 

  
  
“Cora’s a baby who can’t swim!” Jack teased from the water. 

  
  
“I can too!” Cora stomped her foot as she dropped her towel. “I can swim!” She shouted as she ran to jump into the water. 

  
  
Madi laughed as she watched Cora swim over to Jack and splash water in Jack’s face. Jimmy and Cam joined Cora in splashing water on Jack. 

  
  
“Girl, what are we doing for your birthday this year?” Raven drew Madi’s attention as River’s hand rested on her stomach. 

  
  
“River is out of town, so I was thinking of just having a barbecue or something,” Madi shrugged slowly. 

  
  
“We’re going no kids camping for your mom’s birthday,” Raven explained quietly as she ran her hand through her hair. “Mini, Jordon, Taylor and Theo are going to watch the kids for us.”

  
  
“Mom told me about it,” Madi yawned quietly, she was tired and still felt off. 

  
  
“I’m taking Madi away when I get back for an early birthday,” River grinned widely. “Bell and Clarke are taking Cory for the weekend.”

  
  
“You’re taking me away huh?” Madi smirked and looked up at River. 

  
  
“Yep,” he smiled and kissed her cheek. 

  
  
The last couple of days had been crazy with changes but in this moment, she was beyond happy with her life.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that there maybe some triggers in this chapter.

Madi was awake as the sun started to rise, her morning sickness was not letting her sleep. It hadn’t let her sleep in all week but she took advantage of the peace of the morning, sitting on the balcony sipping her peppermint tea. Madi, River and the boys were leaving today, they only had a few days before they were on the road again. They had to get a few things to get done before they left again.   
  
“Not feeling well?” Clarke’s voice echoed as she walked out onto the balcony in her pyjamas.   
  
“Morning sickness is really kicking my ass this time around,” Madi gave a quiet laugh as her mother sat next to her.   
  
“I still can’t believe how much my baby has grown up,” Clarke smiled and brushed Madi’s hair behind her ear. “Getting married and having another baby.”   
  
“I can’t believe Cory is almost four, feels like yesterday I was in the NICU with her,” Madi smiled and took a sip of her tea.   
  
“She’s come so far, she’s a little fighter,” Clarke smiled and took a sip of her coffee.   
  
“She gets that from you,” Madi smiled at Clarke.   
  
“She gets it from you too,” Clarke smiled and held her daughter’s hand. “You kept her safe when Zane attacked you.”   
  
“You know I haven’t thought about him in a long time,” Madi took a deep breath. “I always worried I would see him in her or that she would look like him but I don’t,” Madi smiled as she changed position. “I just see Cory.”   
  
“She’s an amazing little girl, I’m a very proud Nanna,” Clarke smiled and hugged Madi tightly. “So we need to talk about your wedding.”   
  
“River and I need to talk about it, I think we’ll be a year or so out from an actual date,” Madi pulled back slowly. “I need to have this one first.”   
  
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” Clarke smile slowly.   
  
“I think it might be a boy,” Madi smiled and looked down at her stomach.   
  
“It’s a girl,” River smiled as he came out holding Cora as she cuddled up against him.   
  
“You want a girl?” Clarke laughed as took Cora as she reached out to her.   
  
“How could I not? Look how cute Cory is,” River leant down and kissed Cora’s head. “I want a whole bunch of girls,” he smirked as he moved over to kiss Madi.   
  
“Your baby is giving me hell this morning,” Madi mumbled as another wave nausea hit her.   
  
“My baby huh?” He chuckled as he sat down slowly. “What time are we meeting up with Cole?” He turned serious.   
  
“5 at the bar,” Madi breathed out trying to ignore the nausea.   
  
“You’re meeting up with Cole,” Clarke raised her eyebrow with a deep frown.   
  
“He’s asked if we’d meet with him to discuss the possibility of us letting him have a part in Cory’s life,” River explained quietly.   
  
“She sees Henry and Jane, so if we do consider it, he’ll just be their son,” Madi explained quietly. “River is Cory’s dad. We’re meeting up with him and decided together as her parents if we let him in her life.”   
  
“If he hurts her, I will kill him,” Clarke spoke seriously as she kissed Cora’s cheek.   
  
“You and me both,” River spoke seriously as he leant back in his chair.   
  
“Let’s just see how this goes,” Madi stood up and rubbed her stomach again. “I’m going to have a shower.”   
  
—————————   
  
Madi drove into town while Jack and Cora argued in the back seat about if big bird is a Chicken or a duck. Jimmy and Cam were asleep oblivious to the fierce debate between the toddler and adult. River was doing his best to not burst out laughing.   
  
“Big bird is a duck, Jack,” Cora crossed her arms in a huff as she glared at Jack.   
  
“He’s obviously a chicken, you’re a baby you don’t understand,” Jack countered and patted Cora on the head.   
  
“Daddy! Tell Jacky to stop!” Cora cried out frustrated as she crossed her hands in a huff.   
  
“Baby, Big bird is a canary,” River responded with a shit-stirring grin.   
  
“Daddy!” Cora cried out upset.   
  
“River!” Madi scolded as she shot a look at River as Cora got more upset. “Do you guys have fun teasing a toddler?”   
  
“Mommy!” Cora sobbed as Madi drove through town.   
  
“Baby girl, don’t listen to them,” Madi soothed and looked in the rearview mirror. “If you want big bird to be a duck then he is a duck.”   
  
“Mommy is on my side,” Cora stuck her tongue out at Jack and River.   
  
Madi pulled into the driveway slowly and watched Rachel come out of the house followed by Ethan.   
  
“How come I’ve got to find out you're engaged on The band’s Instagram?” Rachel faked being upset but she couldn’t hide the smile.   
  
Madi laughed as she got out of the car slowly, followed by the others quickly as Rachel came down to hug Madi tightly.   
  
“You know it’s got 400,000 likes, it’s blown up,” Rachel pulled away with a smile.   
  
“Rachy!” Cora beamed as she got out of the car. “Guess what!”   
  
“What my sweet Cory?” Rachel smiled as she picked up Cora and kissed her cheek.   
  
“Mommy has a baby in her tummy,” Cora grinned widely.   
  
“Mommy has a what?” Rachel was both shocked and confused as she looked between Cora and Madi.   
  
“A baby in her tummy!” Cora squealed happily as Madi nodded to confirm it was true.   
  
“Oh my god!” Rachel lurched forward and hugged Madi tightly.   
  
“Let me get a hug,” Ethan grumbled as he finished shaking hands with River. “Congrats Mads,” he hugged her tightly.   
  
“Mommy has a baby and pizza in her tummy,” Cora giggles from Rachel’s arms loudly.   
  
“Does she now?” Ethan turned to Cora with a wide grin.   
  
Madi smiled as she felt her phone go off, she looked down at it to see a message from Cole.   
  
“Everything okay?” River asked quietly as he walked over to Madi.   
  
“Yeah, we need to get ready to go, it’s almost five,” Madi mumbled as she showed River the message from Cole saying he was on his way to the bar now. “I need to get changed, these pants are too tight.”   
  
“Go!” River kissed her head and watched her head inside. “Alright, there are five of you and one toddler, I wish you the best of luck,” River chuckled loudly.   
  
Madi made quick work of changing into a dress that hung loosely around her stomach. Her stomach seemed a bit bloated, a mixture of the baby and a big lunch. She found River waiting in the car for her, he looked slightly annoyed.   
  
“Are you okay?” Madi asked quietly as she got into the car.   
  
“I just don’t want this to turn into a fight,” he admitted quietly as he started to drive.   
  
“Let’s just hear him out,” Madi spoke quietly as she leant back slowly.   
  
Madi felt weird walking in to meet with Cole, River kept his hand on her back protectively. They found him sitting at one of the booths and they quietly went to go sit with him.   
  
“Madi, River, thank you for coming,” Cole nervously offered River a hand to shake.   
  
River shook his hand before sitting down with Madi, sliding into the booth.   
  
“Before we start this whole conversation, the first thing I need you to understand is that Cora is my daughter,” River spoke stiffly as he watched Cole carefully. “I’ve raised her with Madi for the last three years. If you hurt her, you will never get the chance to see her again.”   
  
Cole was quiet for a moment as he nodded, understanding what River was saying.   
  
“I understand completely,” Cole’s voice was quiet as he nodded slowly. “I want to apologize for what happened at the party, I was drunk and out of line, I shouldn’t have laid my hands on you.”   
  
“I appreciate your apology,” River nodded slowly as he held Madi’s hand under the table.   
  
“I would appreciate it if you and Madi would consider letting me be a part of Cora’s life, I’m happy to have any conditions you two want,” Cole looked at Madi and River nervously.   
  
“Could you excuse us for a moment?” River asked quietly and Cole nodded immediately getting up, walking over to the bar to get another drink.   
  
River turned to Madi and started to sign quickly, knowing he had to sign quicker so Cole didn’t completely catch on as he was watching them from the bar.   
  
‘Only with his parents, he’s just Jane and Henry’s son?’ River signed quickly watching Madi carefully.   
  
‘Supervised until we’re completely comfortable, no fighting, a trail for the summer?’ Madi raised her eyebrow slowly.   
  
River nodded and waved Cole back over, he came over quickly with a fresh glass of water.   
  
“We will try it for the summer,” Madi spoke quietly as River rubbed her back slowly. “We’ll introduce you as Jane and Henry’s son. Our biggest thing is no fighting, we don’t want that around Cora.”   
  
“Okay,” Cole nodded slowly as he watched them both carefully.   
  
“I’m out of town for the next few weeks but believe me, if you cause any problems I’ll be back here in a second, got it?” River’s shoulders were tense as he watched Cole, he was not completely comfortable with this but he needed to give this a chance.   
  
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Cole’s body language relaxed slowly as he watched them both. “Thank you for giving me this chance.”   
  
“Don’t ruin it,” was all Madi said before she stood up out of the booth, Cole still made her feel uncomfortable.   
  
“You can see Cora when Henry and Jane see her next,” River stood up slowly ending the conversation, sensing how uncomfortable Madi was.   
  
“Thank you,” Cole took his cue to leave, not pushing the conversation further. Knowing to leave the interaction before things twisted from the way he wanted it to go.   
  
“Want to order food before we head home?” River pressed a kiss to Madi’s temple after he watched Cole leave the bar, his body relaxed as soon as Cole disappeared out of sight.   
  
“Food,” she nodded slowly and walked over to the kitchen window with River close behind her.   
  
“You two look like you need a stiff drink,” Anya came out of the kitchen in a breezy mood, it was a quiet night.   
  
“I sure as hell do,” River agreed as he watched Madi right down their order of food, enough for them to take home for everyone.   
  
“Cory’s special?” The chef grinned widely as he came over to take the order from Madi.   
  
“You know it, she’ll be in for a visit next week,” Madi smiled slowly as she watched the chef head back to start cooking.   
  
Cory’s special was the kid's mac and cheese with chicken, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. This wasn’t on the menu but the chef always put it together for Cora, the little girl loved veggies and she was obsessed with this mac and cheese.   
  
“No one loves veggies like your kid,” the chef called out with a hearty laugh.   
  
Madi followed River and Anya over to the bar, she felt her feet drag across the floor until they made it to the bar. Fatigue setting in and her body started to ache from being awake for too long.   
  
“So what was he doing here with you?” Anya raised her eyebrow at Madi, like a lot of people in her life, Anya had lost all respect they had for Cole when he left her.   
  
“We’re trailing something with Cory, it might work, it might not,” Madi shrugged as she leant against the bar.   
  
River eased into the barstool with a sigh as Anya got behind the bar getting two glasses out, waiting for the confirmation of which stiff drink they wanted.   
  
“Whiskey,” his voice came out in a gravelly grunt, it was a mixture of being tired and tension from coming face to face with Cole.   
  
Anya poured River a whiskey on the rocks with a little extra than usual and pushed it toward him.   
  
“Madi?” Anya raised her eyebrow at Madi as she prepped the glass with ice.   
  
“Ginger ale,” Madi watched as Anya put the bottle of whiskey down with a frown. Madi didn’t acknowledge the look as she got money out of her wallet to pay for the drinks and the food.   
  
Anya put the ginger ale on the bar and took the money, Anya paused in the middle of taking the money from Madi, noticing the new ring on Madi’s finger.   
  
“No way,” Anya’s lit up with a happy smile, she quickly cashes out Madi before heading around the bar to hug Madi tightly. “We should get some champagne out,” Anya moves to give River a quick hug.   
  
“I’m not drinking,” Madi takes a sip of her ginger ale waiting for it to click for Anya.   
  
“You’re not?” Anya looks at Madi for confirmation and Madi points down to her still flat stomach. “Holy shit,” Anya pulls Madi into another tight hug.   
  
“Cora likes to tell everyone that Mommy has a baby and pizza in her tummy,” River chuckles, relaxing visibly, his tension leaving his body as his focus shifts.   
  
“Maxie will be happy to have another friend to play with,” Anya beamed happily, she had a little boy that was two years old, he played with Cora all of the time.   
  
“Ash and Cora are having a sleepover next week, Maxie can come join if he wants,” Madi offered as River started to trace patterns on her back with her fingertips.   
  
“That’s perfect, I could use a night off,” Anya admitted quietly, she was like Madi in a lot of ways especially as a mom. She got guilty about having others watch Maxie and Madi got it, she tried to watch out for Anya, supporting her where she could.   
  
“Well drop him over and the kids will have a good night,” Madi smiled as she watched Anya give her a thankful smile.   
  
“So do you want a boy or girl River?” Anya smiled watching River finish his drink.   
  
“Girl,” River grinned widely as he pulled Madi closer by her waist, kissing her temple. “I want a whole bunch of girls.”   
  
“You’re going to have more?” Anya’s question was more pointed at River since it was his comment that evoked it.   
  
“I wouldn’t mind having three or four total,” River’s smile was hopeful as he looked towards Madi, trying to see if she was going to object.   
  
“Here comes the rush,” Madi nodded towards the door as a horde of college students started to pile in, it was kind of methodical with these students, every few nights when 5:30 hit they’d roll in. They didn’t come in small bursts either, they all came in at once.   
  
“I should get to it,” A heavy sigh rolled out of Anya’s lips as one of the waitresses came over with their takeaway order.   
  
“I’ll see you later,” Madi nodded at Anya as they started to weave through the new arrivals.   
  
  
\------------------------------------------------   
  
  
Madi yawned as she walked out onto the front porch, everyone had gone to bed and it was past midnight. She knew River was sitting on the porch writing, he liked to write songs late at night when he felt blocked up. She didn’t like to interrupt him but tonight she just wanted to maximize her time with him. It felt harder to know he was going away especially since she was pregnant now.   
  
“Hey,” River’s entire face lit up as she walked out.   
  
“I’m sorry for interrupting you,” Madi walked closer to him as she rubbed her back slowly.   
  
She felt strange but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, she just felt off it wasn’t morning sickness but she felt like something was wrong.   
  
“Don’t you dare apologize,” he put his book aside and pulled her down to straddle his lap. “I want to soak in every second I can with you. When I come back you’re going to be so different.” He put his hand on her stomach with a small smile playing on his lips.   
  
“I’ll be almost eighteen weeks when you come back,” Madi mumbled as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I’ll send you bump updates.”   
  
“I want one every day,” his smile grew even wider as she slouched slowly, her body relaxing on his lap. “Every single day, promise me.”   
  
“I promise,” she whispered and watched him smile at her stomach as he traced patterns on her stomach.   
  
“Is Nyko doing an ultrasound Tuesday before I leave?” He looked up at her eyes slowly.   
  
“Yeah at 8 am, he wants to check everything out,” she nodded slowly as she watched him carefully. “We won’t able to do this soon, I’ll be too big.”   
  
“It’ll be good,” he smiled even wider and moved his hand up to cup her cheek gently. “You’ll be growing our baby healthy and strong, you’re amazing. We'll have our baby home with us in the new year.”   
  
“It’s kind of funny,” she mused as she leant her cheek into his hand. “My due date is only a week off what Cory’s was.”   
  
“They could’ve had the same birthday,” he murmured, she knew he meant if Cora wasn’t born prematurely.   
  
“Cory was too impatient to come into the world,” she relaxed down and let her head rest on his shoulder, letting him wrap his arms around her torso. “How long are you back for when you come back?”   
  
“Three days, I’m taking you away for your birthday,” he murmured as he rubbed her back. “Then we’ll be gone for eight weeks but I’m going to try and fly home for a couple of days in the middle of it.”   
  
“I’ll try and book my ultrasound before we go away,” she whispered as she yawned again.   
  
“We should get to bed,” he stood up and put her down her feet, still supporting her with his arms around her waist.   
  
Madi quietly groaned as pain shot through her stomach, she could see the panic rush through River as he watched her.   
  
“I’m okay, it passed,” she assured as the pain passed. “I think I just moved the wrong way.”   
  
“Okay,” he spoke still not convinced but he dropped it.   
  
Madi knew what was most likely happening, she felt off like something wasn’t right and now she was connecting the dots.   
  
“Mads,” River sighed once they got into their bedroom. “What’s going on?”   
  
“I just feel off,” she admitted quietly and sat down slowly on the bed, running a hand through her hair.   
  
“What do you mean off?” he frowned as he came to stand in front of her.   
  
“I’m not sure,” she couldn’t tell him that she thought there was a possibility that this pregnancy wasn’t viable, their baby wasn’t viable. She couldn’t because there was still hope, a chance that their baby was okay. “I just feel off and I’m not sure what it is.”   
  
“The baby?” the words come out shaky through his lips, his hands shake as he raised his hand to cup her cheek.   
  
“I don’t know,” she watched his eyes close as he took his hand off her cheek. “We won’t find out until we see Nyko.”   
  
“Two days,” he scoffed as he stepped back shaking his head. “Two days, how are we supposed to wait that long to find out if our baby is still alive?”   
  
“River,” she stood up and walked closer to him but he stepped back again.   
  
“So you were just going to keep this feeling a secret?” he narrowed his eyes.   
  
“It’s a feeling, I don’t know if it means anything or not,” She ran her hand through her hair, she shouldn’t have said anything. This could be nothing and she’s making them stress for nothing. This was too much. “I don’t know okay,” she couldn’t stop the sob leaving her lips as she turned away covering her mouth, tears spilling from her eyes.   
  
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he came over to her slowly, pulling her into a tight, protective hug.   
  
It was almost like it was dawning on him that she was just as scared as he was. She didn’t want to lose the baby either.   
  
\---------------------   
  
Tuesday morning couldn’t have come fast enough, they wanted answers. River was being tortured by not knowing, Madi knew it. He avoided her all of Monday, he took Cora out for the day while the boys were dealing with the things they had to tie up before they left again. Rachel and Ethan were gone all day, leaving Madi alone all day with her thoughts. She tried to paint to ignore the worry that was weighing down on her shoulders. She spent all day in her studio in the basement and all she came out with was a dark figure screaming out on top of a dark mountain top.   
  
River came home late enough that Cory was passed out, he put her to bed and went out the back with the boys as soon as they got back. They just sat around drinking beers and smoking joints. The weed didn’t bother Madi as long as it was away from Cory and they didn’t smoke in the house. What bothered her is that he hadn’t said a word to her since they woke up after she fell asleep crying in his arms.   
  
When he came to bed hours later, it was still silence, he got into bed and faced away from her until his breathing steadied and he was asleep. It hurt like hell, she knew he was trying to deal with this but she needed him too. Now the thought of her losing him if she lost the baby plagued her. She laid awake all night, her mind running through every detail. What she could’ve done wrong if she does lose the baby.   
  
The sun rose and her body screamed at her, she was tired but she forced herself to get up. She sat on the porch and stared out into the front yard as the summer’s day heat started to set in. The house started to stir at around 7 am, Madi hadn’t moved from her seat on the porch. She knew she had to move and get dressed, she made her way inside, River didn’t even look at her as he moved past her from the hallway to the kitchen.   
  
“Stop being a fucking dickhead,” Jack growled, it was a growl that echoed up the stairs.   
  
Madi got dressed into shorts and a singlet top before throwing half of her hair up into a ponytail. She just needed a hug, she needed River to reassure her that no matter what everything was going to be okay. She quickly wiped away the tears that started to spill before she walked back downstairs, they needed to leave for her appointment or they were going to be late. The boys were supposed to head off at an hour after the appointment.   
  
“Let’s go,” River grabbed his car keys off the bench and walked past her, out the door.   
  
Madi followed him wordlessly and got into the car. She hated the silence, she hated how he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and most of all she hated how he refused to look at her, denying her any chance of reassurance from him.   
  
They walked into the clinic and was ushered into the treatment room. He still didn’t look at her as she moved onto the examination table, waiting for Nyko to walk in.   
  
“Madi,” Nyko beamed as he walked into the room. “I just wanted to do the scan to make sure everything is on track with Baby Dawson,” his face changed when he noticed Madi and River’s faces. “Have you had any spotting or bleeding?”   
  
“No,” Madi’s voice was croaky as she stared up at the ceiling.   
  
“Let’s get this started,” Nyko softened his voice as he started the ultrasound.   
  
Madi glanced at River, his eyes were glued on the screen, his arms were crossed.   
  
Nyko was silent as he moved the wand and even pressed a little firmer. A solemn sigh left his lips and Madi had her answer.   
  
“I’m sorry, I can’t find a heartbeat,” Nyko sighed as he stopped the ultrasound. “You’ve had what’s called a missed miscarriage, not long after your first ultrasound, the baby stopped growing and passed away,” there was silence in the room. “We will need to get you in for a few tests and then a D&C at the hospital, I’m sorry for your loss. I’ll give you two a few minutes.”   
  
All of the hope and happiness had disappeared from River’s eyes, replaced by anger and grief. Madi sat up and wiped the tears that threatened to spill.   
  
“We’ve got a show tonight,” his voice was full of grieve, it shook with every word.   
  
“I’ll get my mom to come with me to the hospital, I’ll see if GG can watch Cory,” She tried to hold back her tears as she stood up slowly.   
  
“Okay,” he nodded, biting the inside of his cheek, his eyes glistened but he looked away quickly.   
  
There was a long silence between them, neither of them moved.   
  
“River?” she needed him to look at her, touch her, hold her.   
  
“I should go,” he spoke but still didn’t move.   
  
“I’ll call my mom,” she moved to get closer to him, hoping he would wrap his arms around her.   
  
River walked out without looking back at her, he was grieving in his own way but it still hurt her.   
  
With shaky hands, Madi called her mom as she tried her hardest not to cry.   
  
“Mom,” Madi’s voice broke as tears fell down her cheeks. “I lost the baby,” she sobbed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys   
sorry for the long delay, I've been dealing with some health issues as I have been diagnosed with a chronic illness and I'm still trying to adjust to live now.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	35. Chapter 35

Another ultrasound and blood tests were done at the hospital to confirm what Nyko diagnosed before they did the procedure. Afterwards, they had to keep Madi for a few hours before she could go home. Madi felt numb, she wanted this baby and River wanted this baby but she couldn’t give it to him. She laid in the hospital bed curled up as Clarke stroked her hair gently, they had been like this for over an hour. Madi hadn’t said a word, she couldn’t, her mind wasn’t letting her.   
  
“He hates me,” Madi finally whispered, her voice was strained from crying earlier.   
  
“No, he doesn’t,” Clarke soothed quietly as she took her daughter’s hand. “Losing a baby is hard for both of you and you will grieve in different ways.”   
  
Madi couldn’t stop the sob that left her lips and her mother leant forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead.   
  
“It’ll be okay, you two will be okay,” Clarke reassured and squeezed her daughter’s hand. “When I had my miscarriage, I can’t count the amount of times I snapped and screamed at your dad. Every time I looked at him it reminded me what we had just lost. Your father grief was focusing on our family and making sure we were going to be okay.”   
  
“You guys lost a baby?” Madi looked at her mother carefully.   
  
“Before the twins were born, I’m not the only one,” Clarke spoke quietly as Octavia walked into the room slowly.   
  
“Hey Madz,” Octavia spoke quietly as she watched Madi sit up slowly.   
  
Madi held her arms out to hug Octavia, she needed comfort and reassurance.   
  
“It’s going to be okay,” Octavia reassured quietly as she hugged Madi tightly.   
  
Madi pulled away slowly and wiped her eyes as Octavia pushed her hair behind her ear.   
  
“Lincoln didn’t speak to me when I miscarried, he left and went to New York for four days,” Octavia's voice was solemn as she held Madi’s hands. “It was before I got pregnant with Freya, we had been trying for over a year with no luck, then I got pregnant. We were so happy and excited, it had finally happened. Three weeks later, I started to bleed and the doctors confirmed I had lost the baby. Lincoln didn’t speak to me at all the whole drive home, he packed a back and left,” Octavia took a deep breath. “He needed time to process this in his own way.”   
  
“You’re not alone, baby girl,” Clarke reassured as she rubbed Madi’s back gently.   
  
“He just needs time to process it,” Octavia squeezed Madi’s hands as Madi started to cry again.   
  
  
\--------------------------   
  
  
Madi was laying in bed as her mother came in with tea and something to eat. Cora was staying at her parents’ place so Madi could follow doctor’s orders and rest. Clarke wanted to take care of Madi and make sure she got the rest she needed.   
  
“I’ve lost a baby before,” Madi admitted quietly as Clarke put the tray on the bed beside Madi.   
  
“When?” Clarke sat on the edge of the bed and watched her daughter carefully, handing her the mug of tea.   
  
“A couple of weeks after thanksgiving when Cole and I broke up, I was booked in to,” Madi took a deep breath as she looked down. “have an abortion but I started bleeding after my initial appointment, the clinic confirmed that I had a complete miscarriage.”   
  
“Madi, I’m so sorry, I should’ve been there for you,” Clarke sighed quietly.   
  
“I didn’t want to be pregnant then but this baby, I wanted this baby so much, River wanted this baby so much,” Madi couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.   
  
“I know baby girl,” Clarke held Madi close, letting her cry into her chest.   
  
After a few minutes, Clarke pulled away and picked up the bowl of risotto.   
  
“You need to eat,” Clarke offered the bowl to Madi, it was late, almost midnight but Madi had slept almost the entire time since they got back from the hospital.   
  
“You should go home, get some sleep,” Madi spoke quietly as she took the bowl and started to eat.   
  
“If I go are you going to be okay?” Clarke raised her eyebrow but she couldn’t hide the fact that she was tired.   
  
“I’m just going to eat and go back to sleep,” Madi reassured as she reached out and squeezed her mother’s hands. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”   
  
“Okay,” Clarke got up and kissed Madi’s forehead gently. “I’ll be back in the morning with Cory.”   
  
“Thanks, Mom, for everything today,” Madi watched her mom smile a proud smile.   
  
“I’ll always be here for you,” Clarke put her hand on her cheek. “I love you Mads.”   
  
“I love you too Mom,” Madi gave her mom a small smile and watched her leave.   
  
Madi turned the tv on, she didn’t want it silence right now and ate the food her mom made, she needed it, she hadn’t eaten all day. She settled down into the bed as soon as she finished eating, she tried watching tv but her eyelid became heavy overwhelming her.   
  
  
\-----------------------   
  
  
The sound of the tv being turned off made her eyes fling open, she wasn’t in a deep sleep. She sat up slowly, looking around, the only light in the room was the moonlight seeping through the window. She saw a figure in the doorway of the closet, changing out of their clothes, she knew this figure better than her own.   
  
“River?” Madi’s voice was thick with sleep as she watched the figure turn around.   
  
“I broke four sticks tonight,” River’s voice was husky and rough from crying and it was obvious that tears were ready to spill again.   
  
Madi got out of the bed carefully, it hurt but she expected it. She carefully walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He accepted the hug immediately and buried his head into her hair.   
  
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed as he held onto her. “I’m sorry I left you,” he was shaking.   
  
“It’s okay,” she whispered and kept a hold him, knowing he needed this.   
  
They stayed like that for a long time until Madi needed to sit down, she was getting cramps again.   
  
“Let me help you to bed,” River said instinctively before she could say anything as he pulled back, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I shouldn’t have left you,” he whispered as he helped her back to the bed.   
  
“River, it’s okay,” she whispered as she pulled him slightly to make him sit next to her. “That’s what you needed to do for your grief. Mom and O really helped me today.”   
  
“Madi, I left you to deal with this alone, I was selfish,” he was angry at himself, disappointed in himself. “You should be mad at me.”   
  
“When O miscarried, Lincoln didn’t speak to her, he packed up and left for New York for four days,” she took his hand and squeezed it. “You needed to process this in your own way and I’m not going to be mad at you for that.”   
  
“I’m taking the next two weeks off,” he whispered and kissed her forehead gently. “I want to be here for you, is there anything I can get you?”   
  
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep again,” she admitted quietly.   
  
“I think I know what may help with that and the pain,” he stood up carefully and grabbed a small case from his bedside table draw. “do you feel okay enough to walk downstairs?”   
  
“Yeah,” she nodded and took the hand River offered her.   
  
They sat on the back porch smoking a joint each, Madi had her legs over River’s lap as he rubbed her legs gently.   
  
“I’m sorry I snapped when you told me that you felt off,” he took a long draw of his joint, inhaling the skunky smoke.   
  
“I think it was my body telling me something was wrong,” she looked down as she took a draw. “I was feeling off for a while.”   
  
“This wasn’t your fault,” he looks at her and cups her cheek with his free hand.   
  
“I know how bad you wanted this baby,” she closed her eyes as tears started to fall again but she quickly wiped them away. “What if I can’t have another baby?”   
  
“We will cross that bridge if we get to it,” he took her hand kissing it gently. “Right now, I want to focus on making sure you’re healthy.”   
  
There was a comfortable silence between them as they continued to smoke, the weed was calming them both down and letting some of their tension leave their bodies.   
  
“What are the guys doing about the shows for the next two weeks?” Madi asked quietly as she let her fingers entwine with his.   
  
“They’re getting a swing in that knows our songs, Ryan is putting a post on Instagram tomorrow to announce that I’ll be taking the next two weeks off,” River explained quietly as he squeezed her hand gently.   
  
“Is he saying why?” she frowned slightly as his thumb played with her engagement ring.   
  
“He is saying that I have a family emergency and I need to take time off,” he explained quietly as he kissed her hand gently.   
  
“I love you,” she whispered, leaning forward, giving him a gentle kiss.   
  
“I love you too,” he mumbled against her lips before pulling back slowly. “Let’s get to bed, you need to rest.”   
  
  
\-------------------------   
  
  
Madi sat on the couch with Cora watching a movie while Aurora cooked dinner, she insisted on coming over and cooking for them. It had been four days since they lost the baby and Madi was starting to feel better physically. River had gone out to the shops to pick up a few things.   
  
“Nan, you don’t have to come to cook every night,” Madi spoke as she got up and walked into the kitchen.   
  
“I don’t have to but I want to,” Aurora spoke quietly as she came over and put a hand on her granddaughter’s cheek. “I’ve put a lasagne in the freezer and there’s some casserole in the fridge for tomorrow.”   
  
“Thank you,” Madi hugged her tight, she appreciated how supportive her family was being of them.   
  
“Dinner should be ready soon,” Aurora smiled as she pulled away from the hug. “Just pull it out of the oven when the timer goes off, I’ll drop by tomorrow with some fresh cookies Roman and I are baking.”   
  
“Cory, come say bye to Nanna,” Madi called out and the toddler came running in to hug the older woman.   
  
“Buh-bye!” Cora grinned widely and let Aurora pick her up.   
  
“Bye my sweetheart,” Aurora grinned and kissed the toddler’s cheek. “Be good for Mommy and Daddy.”   
  
“Love you,” Madi smiled and kissed Aurora’s cheek.   
  
“I love you both and I’ll see you tomorrow,” Aurora smiled and put the toddler down before leaving.   
  
Madi settled back down on the couch with Cora as they continued to watch the movie. Madi’s phone went off with a message from Rachel.   
  
Rachel 5:45 pm: Can your fiancé get any cuter?   
  
Madi looked at the screen shoot Rachel sent through of River’s Instagram post. It was a black and white photo of Madi asleep on his chest as he stroked her hair. He captioned it ‘right where I need to be’. Madi couldn’t stop the smile from creeping onto her lips as she looked at the picture.   
  
“Where are my girls?” River called out as he came through the door with a couple of bags of shopping and a bunch of flowers.   
  
“Daddy!” Cora squealed as she ran to the front door.   
  
“This is for you, Cory,” River smiled as he gave Cora a new soft toy, the toddler took it and ran to the lounge to cuddle with it. “And these are for you,” River handed Madi a bunch of daisies, her favourite flowers.   
  
“Thank you, they’re beautiful,” Madi kissed him slowly before she smelt the daisies.   
  
“I love you,” he smiled and kissed her cheek before taking the daisies to put them in water.   
  
“I love you too,” she called out after him.   
  
“The guys want to facetime and check-in,” River explained as he put the flowers on the table.   
  
“Did they say what time?” She got up slowly and walked into the kitchen to get dinner out of the oven.   
  
“I said I’d call them after dinner, they’ve been waiting to talk to you,” River got the plates out of the cupboard and took over getting dinner served up.   
  
“They could’ve called earlier, they’re family,” she set the table and got Cora settled in at the table.   
  
“They didn’t want to bother you,” River explained as he brought their dinner over to the table.   
  
“Daddy?” Cora asked quietly as she looked at the plate of food in front of her, her face was scrunched up as if she was deep in thought.   
  
“Yeah, baby girl?” River watched his daughter as he sat down at the table.   
  
“No baby in Mommy’s tummy?” Cora looked at her father carefully as she waited for answers.   
  
“Yeah baby girl, there’s no baby in Mommy’s tummy,” River rubbed the back of his neck gently.   
  
“Why?” the inquisitive toddler asked, looking between her parents.   
  
River and Madi looked at each other, trying to figure out what to tell the three-year-old who was definitely too smart for her age.   
  
“Sometimes, the babies in mommies tummies have to go away and don’t get to stay with us,” Madi explained quietly, this was the only way she could think of explaining it in a way that Cora would understand.   
  
“No baby?” Cora looked at her father for confirmation.   
  
“No baby,” River confirmed quietly and stroked her hair gently.   
  
The toddler frowned as she looked between her two parents, trying to figure it out herself.   
  
“Okay,” Cora nodded firmly before turning her attention back to her food, accepting the answer from them   
  
Madi watched her daughter and it seemed like she didn’t seem to bothered with the situation anymore.   
  
“I want to see Janey and Henny,” Cora spoke up again as she looked at Madi.   
  
“I’ll ask if you can go see them tomorrow,” Madi answered quietly as she grabbed her phone to message Jane before she forgot.   
  
“It’ll be the first time Cory properly meets...” River trailed off as he encouraged Cora to eat   
  
“Yeah, at least you’ll be here for it,” Madi nodded slowly and put her phone to the side after she got the answer. “Janey said she’ll pick you up in the morning.”   
  
“Yay!” Cora threw her arms up in the air with a happy grin.   
  
“What about daddy?” River mocked being offended as he crossed his arms.   
  
“No,” The toddler giggled loudly as she shook her head wildly.   
  
“Daddy’s going to cry,” Madi warned trying to hide her smile.   
  
River put his head in his hands and fake sobbed, causing Cora to frown deeply.   
  
“Daddy,” Cora mumbled as she got out of her seat and walked over to him, tugging his hand away from his face. “I sorry, Daddy!” She tried to come up onto his lap.   
  
“Do you love daddy?” River asked still fake sobbing.   
  
“I love daddy very very much,” Cora whispered like it was some big secret.   
  
“I can’t hear you,” River spoke between fake sobs.   
  
“I love Daddy very very much!” Cora shouted as she pulled on his arm.   
  
“Daddy loves you very much too,” River picked the toddler up and kissed her cheek as he held her close.   
  
“Daddy going for work?” The toddler looked up at River as she pulled back from the hug.   
  
“In a little while but daddy is here with you and mommy for 10 more days,” River assured quietly and kissed the toddler’s cheek.   
  
“I wanna see Daddy at work,” Cora mumbled as she traced her fingers over the black rose tattoo on River’s neck.   
  
“You have to ask Mommy,” He smiled before looking over at Madi carefully.   
  
“Mommy?” Cora looked at her mother with her big blue eyes.   
  
“We can go see daddy work,” Madi couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face as she watched her daughter.   
  
“Yes!” Cora cheered as she pumped her tiny fist.   
  
“Mommy and Daddy will have to talk about when you’re going to come to see daddy, so I can get some things together for my girls,” he pressed a kiss to Cora’s temple.   
  
Madi just smiled as she watched River and Madi together, her family was what was important to her. She loved watching River and Cora, they were the most important people in her life.   
  
  
\------------------------------   
  
  
Madi pulled up at Henry and Jane’s house late in the afternoon, she had spent the day with River. They had to go to her appointment with Nyko after Cora was picked up before they spent the day going on a hike. Madi got out of the car with a yawn and walked up to the house slowly.   
  
“Madi,” Jane smiled and pulled Madi into a hug as she met her at the door. “How are you?”   
  
“Thank you for taking Cora today,” Madi smiled as she pulled away from the hug. “I’m okay,” Madi knew her nan must’ve told her what happened when her family was rallying together to help Madi and River out.   
  
“I’m here if you guys need anything,” Jane gave Madi another hug   
  
“Thank you,” Madi gave her a smiled as they walked inside.   
  
“Cora outside playing with Cole,” Jane lead her to the kitchen and poured them both a cup of coffee. “Where’s River?”   
  
“He had to do an interview the band over Skype,” Madi explained as she leant against the bench taking the mug off Jane.   
  
“When does he go back on the road?” Jane walked over to the window, watching her son and Cora play outside.   
  
“End of next week,” Madi walked over to the window to look outside. “How has she been today?”   
  
“She’s been obsessed with playing with Cole, she’s been by his side pretty much the whole day,” Jane explained as she looked at Madi. “I’m happy you and River gave him the chance to be in her life.”   
  
“I’m glad today went well,” Madi kept watching Cora running around with Cole.   
  
“Mommy!” the little girl squealed as she spotted Madi through the window and started running towards the back door.   
  
“Hi baby,” Madi grinned and picked up the toddler as she came into the house. “Did you have a good day?”   
  
“We had milkshakes and Coley showed me the duckies,” Cora explained as Cole came into the house. “I watched a movie with Coley,” Cora grinned widely as she moved to whisper in Madi’s ear. “Coley and Henny got me Maccy and cheesy from mommy’s work.”   
  
“Did they? Aren’t you a lucky girl?” Madi smiled and kissed Cora’s cheek gently.   
  
“Coley?” Cora turned her head to look at him.   
  
“Yeah?” Cole smiled at the toddler as he tickled her cheek with his fingertips.   
  
“Mommy has just pizza in her tummy, no baby,” Cora mumbled as she poked Madi’s stomach as her mother froze. “Baby went bye-bye.”   
  
“Well that’s sad for mommy and daddy,” Cole spoke quietly as he gave Madi a sympathetic look.   
  
“We’re going to see daddy work,” Cora grinned widely as she looked back at her mother.   
  
“That sounds like fun” Cole smiled at the toddler as Cora reached out and to hug Cole.   
  
“Why don’t we take Cory for a day next week before River goes back on the road?” Jane suggested quietly as she watched Madi relax again.   
  
“I think Cory would love that,” Madi smiled at Jane slowly.   
  
“Mommy?” Cora asked from Cole’s arms.   
  
“Yeah, baby?” Madi turned her whole attention to Cora.   
  
“I wanna go to the park with Coley,” Cora looked at her mother as she clasped her hands together. “Please mommy.”   
  
“We can drop her off afterwards,” Jane suggested quietly.   
  
“Please Mommy,” Cora said again when she didn’t get an immediate answer from Madi.   
  
“Okay, you can go to the park with Coley and Janey,” Madi watched her daughter with a smile as she cheered happily.   
  
“Thank you Madi,” Cole smiled as he looked between mother and daughter.   
  
“We’ll drop her home in an hour or so,” Jane assured as she smiled at the toddler in her son’s arms.   
  
“Alright, Mommy will see you at home, be a good girl” Madi kissed Cora’s cheek gently.   
  
“Love you,” The toddler grinned widely at her mother.   
  
“Love you more,” Madi chuckled quietly as she tapped the tip of her nose with the tip of her finger.   
  
“Love you more more,” Cora grinned and blew a kiss at Madi.   
  
“Thanks, Madi,” Cole gave her a friendly smile.   
  
“Have fun you three,” Madi smiled before she headed out of the house.   
  
  
\-----------------------------------   
  
  
Madi went down to her studio when she got back to her house as River sat in the office doing his interviews. She needed to clean up in there and sort her finished works for Vincent. She had earphones in as she worked, she didn’t want to disturb River’s interviews. She jumped when River’s arms snaked around her waist and pressed a gentle kiss to the curve of her neck.   
  
“The guys say hi,” River spoke quietly as held her close to his body.   
  
“How was the interview?” Madi asked as she let back, inhaling his scent.   
  
He scent was of sage and aloe, the scent made her feel at home. The scent made her feel like she belonged in his arms.   
  
“It was good,” his smile was obvious in his voice. “They asked about our engagement.”   
  
“And what did you tell them?” she smiled closing her eyes slowly.   
  
“I’m marrying the love of my life,” he kissed her cheek gently. “And that she is the most beautiful, loving amazing woman on this earth.”   
  
Madi couldn’t stop the smile on her lips from growing even more.   
  
“And then the guys started teasing me,” River chuckled as he squeezed her gently.   
  
“That sounds like them,” she laughed and shook her head.   
  
“Jimmy called you my ex-girlfriend and Jack told him that he’s got to stop calling you that,” he laughed as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. “Have you thought about what Nyko said today?” His voice was quieter and softer.   
  
“I don’t want to,” her answer came almost immediately.   
  
“Are you sure?” His voice was a whisper now as his fingers interlaced over her waist.   
  
“I don’t want to go on birth control,” she confirmed as she put her hands on top of his before she turned in his arms to look up at him. “I want to try.”   
  
“Are you positive?” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “I don’t mind waiting.”   
  
“I’m positive, River,” she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. “When I’m cleared, I want to try for another baby. Are you okay with that?”   
  
“Yeah,” he grinned widely and leant down kissing her gently. “But if you want to stop, just tell me okay.”   
  
River kissed her again but pulled away when the doorbell rang.   
  
“That’ll be Jane and Cole with Cory,” Madi spoke quietly as she started to go upstairs with River close behind her.   
  
River stood by Madi’s side as they opened the door to find that it was just Cole holding Cora.   
  
“Daddy!” Cora squealed happily with a giggle that made Madi’s heart explode.   
  
“Hey baby girl,” River beamed as the toddler jumped into his arms. “You’re all dirty, did you have fun at the park?”   
  
“Yeah,” Cora nodded as she smiled. “Coley and me went on the swings and the slide.”   
  
“I’m sorry, she found a puddle and decided to jump in it before I could stop her,” Cole looked between River and Madi worried.   
  
“That’s Cora for you, she loves puddles, mud and anything to do with water,” Madi explained with a small smile at her daughter.   
  
“My mom is in the car,” Cole looked worried as he spoke, knowing that he was supposed to be supervised with Cora.   
  
“That’s okay,” Madi assured as Cora decided to move over to her arms. “I think I should take miss puddles for a bath, say bye to Coley.”   
  
“Bye-bye!” Cora waved at Cole.   
  
“Bye Cory, see you next time,” Cole waved at the toddler with a smile.   
  
Madi started to take the toddler upstairs who was covered in dried muddy water.   
  
“Thanks for looking after her today,” River spoke but it was obvious to Madi he was uncomfortable.   
  
“Thank you for letting me see her,” Cole’s tone was just as uncomfortable as River’s.   
  
“She’s taken to you well, she doesn’t always do that, she has a good sense of people,” River explained.   
  
“I hope so,” Cole trailed off. “I’ll see you guys next time.”   
  
Madi heard the door shut not long after that as she disappeared into the bathroom with Cora.   
  
  
\---------------------------------   
  
  
Madi laid in bed with River and Cora between them, the little girl had woken them up at 7 am. Cora had promptly fallen asleep again as she laid between her parents. Madi ran her fingers through her daughter’s long wavy blonde hair.   
  
“Yesterday went well,” Madi spoke in a soft voice so she didn’t wake the toddler.   
  
“It did, she seems to like him,” River hummed agreeing as he put his arm around his family.   
  
“Hopefully, it continues to go that way,” she smiled as she watched her daughter’s face scrunch up. “I was thinking.”   
  
“What were you thinking?” He looked at her with a small smirk playing on his lips.   
  
“The band’s playing in New York, the week before Christmas,” She spoke quietly and watched him.   
  
“We are,” he smiled and rubbed her side gently.   
  
“What if Cory and I fly out, come see the last show of the year?” she smiled slowly as she pressed a kiss to Cora’s forehead.   
  
“I would love that, we could take her to see the Rockefeller tree,” he smiled, knowing the toddler’s obsession with Christmas trees.   
  
“It’s a plan,” she smiled as she leant over and kissed him gently. 


End file.
